This piece was originally featured in issue #1 of Like the Wind Magazine.
Toes numb, fingers froze,
Eyes focused, the gun goes.
Surging forwards, girls en masse,
The ones at the front – a different class.
Spikes fly, heart rate quickens,
Around the course, the mud thickens.
Elbows out, through the pack,
Breathing heavy, unwilling to slack.
Hill after hill, lap after lap,
Perfect strangers cheer and clap.
Legs aching, pounding the ground,
Keep on working – I’m halfway round.
Noise gets louder, cowbells drone,
The final hill, I sprint for home.
The vest in front – I’ve got her, she’s mine!
Stop watch clicks, banks my time.
Bent double, coughing, wheezing,
Remembering quickly that it’s bloody freezing.
Clothes back on, time to thaw out,
My whole body ceases to shout.
Sounds like torture, but its fun – you see
I’ve slowly learned to love XC.
Kayleigh Dunn puts pen to paper purely for the love of it. She currently runs with a smile for the Wallsend Harriers in the North East.