Cross Country with QPH – Vicko Marelic

After a few uneventful Park Runs, I got to talk to a friendly Hoopster and joined the Harriers. It was one of the best decisions I made last year! Running on the track with friendly and supportive coaches gives you a great opportunity to work on and improve your running in all areas, especially if your current exercise regime has flat-lined.

Like Alice in Wonderland, you may find yourself going into a world you never knew existed! Competing for a running club was not something that I had done before and I was glad to participate in the Summer League 2025. The races were often in parts of London where I had never been before and the club atmosphere (recognizable banner, delicious cake and hooped kit) was always an uplifting one, being a combination of a lively school sports day, a bountiful picnic and an intense Sunday stroll.

As the Summer League season finished, the cross-country season started. I had last heard of at school when the fastest would disappear somewhere called Parliament Hill. I imagined cross country to be a mixture of a hike in the countryside, playing in the forest and orienteering without a compass. It was all these things and much more!

The locations can be within the borough (Fryent Country Park), the neighboring borough (Wormwood Scrubs) or further afield like Beckenham Place Park.  The distances have varied between 5 to slightly more than 8 miles but to anyone regularly running, it should not be a problem to complete. Finish lines, not finish times! 

There are almost weekly opportunities from the point when the leaves start falling to when the daffodils emerge. The QPH compete in the Chiltern League, with fixtures in easily reachable towns like Oxford and St Albans.

Having done a significant part of my running in parks and other outdoor open spaces, I took to cross country enthusiastically. Will you get wet? Probably. Will you get muddy? Certainly. Will you have fun and improve exponentially? Absolutely!

XC has certainly helped my running pace, technique and overall times. There are specific age categories ranging from 19-39, 40-50 and even up to and including 80.+ so if you think that you are over the hill, cross-country is the occasion to prove yourself wrong. What can be a challenge to the uninitiated is the muddy terrain and it is worthwhile investing in trail shoes and/or spikes. If you have any questions, you will find supportive, more experienced club members that will help you with any questions.

If Park Run has become routine...

If you want to explore new parts of the country...

If you want to go outside your comfort zone...

Cross country is for you.