XC Blog
Finn Boyd, Scotland’s 1st Non-Binary Cross Country Champion
Most people don’t like cross country running. However, I think the reality is that people don’t like the idea of cross country running. To be perfectly honest, when I first started running I could think of nothing worse than running round a muddy country park, up and over hills and round and round woodland and rivers. I was very much in the ‘‘road running’’ camp, and didn't ever see that changing.
I had my first experience of cross country running was in March 2018, as a group of around 8 of us were chosen to represent various age groups at the Scottish Schools Cross Country Championships. It was a real baptism of fire, quite literally four seasons in one day. We arrived in South Queensferry with a grey sky above us on a cool winter’s morning, perfect running conditions. This however did not last long; there were intermittent showers of rain, a sudden dramatic drop in temperature and even a bizarre snowstorm whilst I was out on my warmup lap before the race began, meaning the course was extra churned up for my age group’s race. We went in as naive underdogs, our group participated in a school based running club (purely road based running might I add) thrust in because we enjoyed the sport and the school saw a chance to get involved in a national running championships event. From my perspective, it was a challenge the whole way round the course. Time-wise it is one of my worst ever performances, I was only a few years into the sport, this was only my second ever competitive race and I was incredibly unprepared for what lay ahead. However, whilst this cold, snowy, muddy, slightly demoralising (finishing within the bottom four and miles behind those ahead of me) may have deterred some people, it did the opposite for me.
I made my cross country return after joining my first running club Maryhill Harriers. I competed in local district events in Helensburgh, Balloch and Maryhill as both part of 4 person relay teams and as an individual. I graduated from wearing the cheapest of the cheap trail shoes to wearing proper cross country spikes (absolutely a worthwhile investment), I went from finishing almost last in my first ever race back at those School Champs to finishing as 3rd under 20 a year and a half later when Maryhill hosted the Dunbartonshire Amateur Athletics Association Championships in November 2019. The Scottish National Cross Country Championships were always something I wanted to compete in, but with it usually landing in and around my birthday I had other plans around that time so sacrificed the chance to compete on the National stage. That was until we made history in 2023.
Since joining Glasgow FrontRunners, I have competed in two of the three cross country events we as a club have partaken in; the West District Championships in Kilmarnock and the Scottish National Championships in Falkirk. The 2022/23 racing season saw Scottish Athletics officially allow non-binary runners to run in this category, after years of organising the paperwork and working out the best way of allowing those outside the gender binary with a passion for cross country to compete. The less said about the way it was publicised and dealt with in the runup to, during and in the aftermath of the event the better. Outwith this disappointing set of circumstances, the races themselves were an incredible experience. The Kilmarnock race was a good mix of flats and minor climbs, with a few tight turns towards the end to wind your way towards the finish on the multi lap course. As always, the support from the club on race day was incredible and really helped spur us all on to the finish line after a tough shift. For a cross country race, this was the perfect introduction to the discipline for those that hadn’t run cross country before. The terrain wasn’t too challenging underfoot, there were no major climbs to contend with, and as the weather had been fairly dry it wasn’t too muddy out on the course. Similar to my experience in South Queensferry, this experience can’t have been too harrowing for my fellow competitors as many of us then signed up for the National Champs a few months later. Was this due to the draw of a GFR bobble hat? Who’s to say…
The Nationals was an incredible atmosphere and one I would absolutely love to attend again. A ridiculous calibre of athletes and an enormous field of runners and supporters really brings an unforgettable atmosphere in a race like no other. We all know the thrill of race day, but when you are competing on a National stage it really does feel special. There are genuine Olympic athletes competing in a race like this, alongside some of the FrontRunners who had never ran cross country before. Recent changes for equality benefits mean that the Senior Men, Women and Non-Binary competitors all run a collective distance of 10km, and as the two flagship races of the day there is plenty of support out on the course from officials, spectators and fellow runners. It really makes for an atmosphere like no other. Unrivalled!
I cannot recommend getting into cross country enough, as much as the prospect of running around a muddy field for an hour mightn’t sound like much fun, I can guarantee that it is much more enjoyable than you would ever believe. In my opinion, relays are the perfect place to start; the distance is nice and short so it’s the perfect way to see if you think the discipline suits you and if you want to try out one of the latest races, such as the Nationals. The camaraderie of running in a relay team alongside fellow FrontRunners makes for a fabulous day. It’s the race I am most gutted about not signing up for in 2022, but rest assured I will be first on the list for that race in 2023. I implore you to try out cross country at the relays next year, you will not regret it. If nothing else, it’s another fabulous, fun packed day out with the FrontRunners so that is enough in and of itself!
Finn Boyd