The small sign on arrival read "What better way to spent Valentine's Day than running a Mid Lancs cross country race!".  Rhea Ellis enjoyed this course although she did get her hands dirty when she fell on the  first stream crossing.  But that didn't stop her leading all the way and winning in 12:12, 150m ahead of the next girl. 

In the Junior Girls race, Rhea Ellis was again the star attraction.  As the pack settled down after a long fast start, Rhea emerged as the front runner. Over the next two laps she gently eased ahead and with no-one able to take her on she won the race, and the series, comfortably by 40 metres! 

Rhea long jumped 5m 03 but it was in the speed bounce that she was thought to be a medal prospect and, indeed, with a PB of 79, she took a silver medal.

This year's North of England AA cross country championships were held over undulating parkland in Sherdley Park, with support from St Helens Council and local athletic clubs.  But it was a testing course with hills - sorry, hills are only in the mind! - and a fair bit of mud.  As this year's emphatic county and county schools cross country champion, Rhea Ellis was a good medal prospect and so it proved when she took bronze in the under 13 girls' event.

The under 13 girls race over 2 short laps for 3K. Towards the top of the hill on the first lap, Rhea Ellis was lying about 20th and by the end of lap 1 was up to 8th place.  She ran perhaps the best race of the season finishing 4th in 11:49, beating Stockport's Lucy McLoughlin and Alexandra Wheatman from Scarborough, who won this year's Northern XC Champs, in the process. 

Rhea Ellis took part in the junior Girls' race at English Schools. As the girls charged down the hill at the start, it was a delight to hear the commentary coming over the PA system, pointing out the runners to watch in this race.  "..and Merseyside's Rhea Ellis, number 404, 6th in last weekend's inter-counties and 4th in the Nationals."  

The fast downhill start was not ideal for Rhea but she tested herself against the older girls and gave everything to finish brilliantly in 29th place, and 1st Merseyside counter. 

Rhea has had an outstanding cross country season and was expected to do well here today but even the best laid schemes sometimes go wrong!  

No sooner had they left the starting pens than Rhea found herself boxed in and was well adrift of the leaders as she came passed the first kilometre mark.  But she fought back well and gradually got herself back into contention.  With half a kilometre to go, she was sitting just behind a pack of girls in about 15th place and powered through to finish 6th overall, in 13:43, and 1st Merseyside counter. 

As under 15s were only allowed to run 3000m on the track from last year there was no race for under 15 girls and so Rhea was entitled to run in the under 17 women's event.  And what a race she had! After the first 200m she had settled into second place and stayed with the leading group throughout the race, finishing just outside the medals in 4th place in 10:39.29, a personal best time by 21 seconds, a new club record for all our female age groups and just 9 secs off a grade 1 time for an under 17 women.  Rhea is, of course, only a first year under 15 girl!