Hot on the heels of the Rio Olympics came this week's big sporting event: The Year Five And Six Cross Country Race at school. An annual event this is taken with all due seriousness by the lead athlete in The Lawrence Clan: Trixie. Keen to do well, The Girl Lawrence had trained hard for the event and over the five weeks since we returned from our sojourn to Britain. Her pace has got faster and faster each time she has run, to the point where I was struggling to keep up with her.
However before we get to the race report it is important to walk the course in word form. The year sixes and year fives raced in gender and year groupings all departed from the school field, bidding a farewell to the swimming pool area swiftly as they ran off in the direction of the sixth form common room. Next they turned a sharp right and set off up the hill behind the science labs. That is where the sort of cross-country part of this urban race came in, in the form of speed bumps. There are six positioned to stop staff motoring too swiftly up to their parking spaces but these were also an added challenge for the runners.
At the top of the hill the course turned right again, passing the staff lounge and the reserved-for-important-people parking spaces before heading down the road (over more speed bumps) behind the languages rooms and the canteen. At the bottom of this hill the runners completed a 180 degree turn and retraced their steps as far as the sixth form block turn.
And then there was more. The course went along the bus lane in the car park and back again before a turn on to the sports field. But that was not the end. The runners were required to complete several marked out lengths of the field turning round carefully positioned cones and teachers before entering a home straight at the end of which was the head and deputy of the primary school.
The stadium seats overlooking the field were fortunately packed with parents so that meant that I had to make do with watching Trixie's race from outside the arts block, which was a really good vantage point. It is both a brilliant and terrible position to be in as a watching Dad. I wanted her to do her best and enjoy it but also feared things going wrong. I often say to my Drama students that the watching group of parents are more nervous than them and have now had that proved to me in sporting terms.
So the head teacher blew his whistle and 80 year five girls of various sizes and athletic abilities tore away from the starting line at an alarming speed. Trixie had positioned herself on the starting line but as she left the sports field she stood about a head shorter than the rest and lay in around twentieth place. The tension was unbearable so I dashed from my vantage point across the canteen to the 180 degree turn at the bottom of the hill. I soon made out the first athletes dashing down, with the two tiniest year fives leading the field, Trixie and the girl who had won in year four. Determination was etched across their various faces as it was also across the face of the third, taller and sportier looking girl. Clapping encouragement at all three of them I watched them turn round and attack the return hill with all the gusto that nine year olds can manage.
I dashed back to my arts block position and waited. Waiting only until I heard the head of primary PE announce "And the first runners are entering the car park." I had to see. Dashing along at the front was a pink-faced, blond-haired, determination on legs Trixie Lawrence. Now five metres ahead of the other two in the leading pack surely all she had to do was keep going?
Moments later the runners entered the sports field now with Trixie fifteen metres ahead. From then on it was mind over matter: the girl had to just simply keep putting one fast leg in front of another speeding round each switchback turn, while ignoring the battle for second going on behind her.
I was so proud of her when she crossed the line first to the cheers of the crowd. She had a mixture of shock, pride and tears on her face all held together with a enormous grin. I was just as proud when it was announced "And the winner of the year five girls cross country is Trixie from 5K."
Later Trixie told me "I had to ask Bella to pinch me to check that it was all real." I am still checking that it is real several days on. We have a sporty Lawrence. It's official.