TJ McElmeel Cross Country Races- Armagh- Sunday 21st September 2025

We were thrilled to kick start our cross country season at Palace Demesne Public Park in Armagh on Sunday 21st September.  

Hosted by Armagh AC, there were races starting from Under 9s which meant some of our younger runners were able to travel and make their Castle Gardens Debuts. Indeed it was the Under 9 girls who stole the show with Sarah and Emme taking the race by storm and finishing and fantastic 5th and 11th places respectively. An incredible debut for both girls who should be very proud with their efforts.   

In the Under 11 category, Niamh and Silvana equipped themselves well for the challenging 2 laps course which featured a rather nasty hill on both laps. Both girls started sensibly, having watched how tired some of the runners finished in the earlier races despite having run only half the distance. On lap 2, Niamh carved her way through the field overtaking several girls she had her eyes set out on. She battled up the hill for the final time to make a strong finish to her race. Behind her, Silvana ran strongly also having the remnants of a very heavy head cold lingering. Despite this, she paced her race well and fought hard on the second lap to ensure she was caught by those behind her. All things considered, a very impressive and resilient performance.  

Some of our Primary 7 runners were unfortunately left with the challenging task of having to race the Post-Primary School girls because their birthdays fall before Christmas. So, despite only being 10 years old, Will and Logan had to race in the Under 13 category over the longer distance. Fortunately, both are highly experienced runners who actually excel over longer distances and so this perhaps proved to be a blessing in disguise. Will set out in the middle of the Under 13 boys pack and, as they entered the second lap (a much longer lap), he showed no signs of slowing down at all. A typically gallant effort followed as Will pitched himself against the older boys. Having been in great form of late, Will was not deterred, however, and ran strongly through the line for a very pleasing performance. When switching back down to the Primary School distances, Will is surely set to run strongly.   

In the Under 13 girls race, Logan was joined by ex-pupil Charlotte, her cross country teammate from last year. Like Will they had the longer distance to complete but both set willfully about their task from the start. Logan had been ill this week and so it wouldn't have been unexpected had she tired over the longer distance. But this was not the case as she applied herself superbly well, catching one girl after another as some paid the price for having started too quickly. Logan climbed the last hill powerfully to finish strongly, finally looked tired as she crossed the line. Not far behind her, Charlotte suffered a fall into her first few strides of the race. Her fall was captured on video and showed a somewhat graceful recovery as she got back to her feet and steadily made her way back to the pack. Charlotte's determination is highlighted by a habit that has crept in over the past year. All we'll say is that she clearly gives her all in what is always an impressive performance. She finished only a handful of places behind Logan despite her fall.  

As always, a big thank you to both the runners and their families for making the journey to represent school in the race today. We couldn't be prouder of everyone and are looking forward to the upcoming school races which begin next month. 

More photographs are available on our website: Click here