IT wasn’t just each other runners were battling against in an annual cross country champ-ionship – there was also the small matter of driving rain, artic conditions and lots of mud.

The Blackburn and Darwen secon-dary schools finals was testing to say the least with the Witton Park course boggy and sticky under foot due to the wet conditions.

But it did not deter competitors aged from 11 to 18-years-old who took part in a total of eight races.

In the youngest age group, Sean Ince from Our Lady and St John won the boys year seven race and Alexa McTiffin from Westholme was the girls winner.

Alexa was also a part of the winning Westholme team while the boys honours went to St Wilfrid’s.

Reece Thompson from Witton and Maddison Ainsworth of Westholme claimed the individual awards in the Year Eight Nine – and were both a their respective winning teams.

In the boys year 10/11 race, Robert Wong from Darwen Aldridge Community Academy crossed the line first with Holly Ballantyne making it a clean sweep for the Academy in the girls race.

But team honours went to St Wilfrids in the girl’s event and, after finishing seond four times in the team compet-itions, St Bede’s finally got their hands on some silverware in the Boys year 10/11 team event.

In the Sixth Form races, Dominic Mahoney from Myerscough Blackburn College came in first with Rebecca Taylor from St Wilfrid’s victorious in the Girls race. Team Honours went to QEGS for the boys and Westholme for the girls.

The annual competition was organised by staff from St Bede’s High School.

“It was great to see so many young people braving the elements and showing real determ-ination to do them-selves and their schools proud,” said Andrew Mercer, school games organiser. “A huge con-gratulations to the staff from St Bedes for what was a smoothly run operation and a big thank you to all the teachers, staff and volunteers who helped out by marshaling, announcing and making the event a great success.”