Excellent results in a very rainy Biathlon!

11.10.2024

On Thursday 26^th September, sixteen pupils from Years 5 and 6 represented High March in a Biathlon at The Royal Masonic School for Girls. This was a swim-run event like a triathlon, in that the transition time from swim to run is included. The girls raced in teams of 4 to take on the 200m swim and 1km run challenge.

We avoided Storm Agnes in 2023 but, unfortunately, weren’t so lucky in 2024. When we arrived at the event it had been raining but was dry for the start. As the afternoon progressed, things went from bad to worse and, after great racing from all the girls, we hurried back to the bus through thunder and lightning, absolutely drenched. With safety as a priority, reporting results became a little more difficult. Score sheets were collected from puddles (!) and everyone was huddled under a few umbrellas.

Biathlon is a tough, physical event and the competition was strong. The High March Year 5 A Team (Amber, Primrose, Harriet and Livleen) finished 2^nd with Amber battling in the finish straight to win her heat. In Year 6, the High March A Team (Evie, Iris, Alice, Sofia) went one better and finished 1^st ahead of Berkhamsted, RMS, Maltman’s Green and St Helen’s.

Triathlon Club Captains, Sofia and Alice, led the pre-race warmups and were extremely kind, helpful and encouraging throughout. Our parents were exceptional, supporting and cheering everyone, with one running part of the XC course, umbrella held high, attempting to help one of our girls cope with a bad stitch.

Many thanks to RMS for hosting this second biathlon and for organising such a wonderful event despite the most difficult weather.