Cross country training begins in earnest at the end of September as the athletics season migrates away from track and field toward the noble art of running fast over dodgy terrain. It is the running event I most enjoy watching and it is also the type of running that my son Ben, my daughter Lauren and my wife Hilary excel at and enjoy doing the most. The wetter, boggier, colder and steeper the better as far as Ben and Hilary are concerned. Fortunately Forres team colour is scarlet and in a race often containing tens of dozens of racers, their shirts stand out wonderfully even at absurd distances where the runner's identity is still a mystery. Last season Ben in his wee red shirt was often the first to emerge from a spurious woodland track having disappeared into the forest a dozen or so minutes earlier. Last year he was under 13 category, this year he has moved up a distance averaging 4.8km and is in the under 15 category, but unlike some of his running colleagues Ben has barely changed height, length, girth or general stature. Lauren on the other hand has really knuckled down to her running this summer and has improved hugely on last season so I am very hopeful she will push for a good finish.
This gallery shows a few of the Forres Harriers doing their training runs in preparation for the new season.
Running Events: Cross Country: Cross Country Training
