Cross-Country

There is an active and growing community of St Paul’s School cross-country runners.

Around 40 to 50 pupils of mixed ability take part, from those who select the sport for their Games Half in the Autumn or Spring Terms to those who represent the school in fixtures against peer schools or in representative events at local, regional and national level.

We compete in the English Schools Athletics Association (ESAA) Cross-Country Cup, where our Junior team placed second nationally in 2024/25, and in the ESAA Inter-County Championship via trials for Richmond, then Middlesex before competing in the National Finals. In 2025, five pupils qualified to run for Middlesex in the National Finals across different age groups. We also had a pupil represent England in last year’s SIAB fixture against Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

The Cross-Country Club is open to all pupils, regardless of ability. It also offers off-season fitness training for pupils whose primary sport may be rugby, cricket, athletics, or another discipline. Training will soon take place on a new onsite cross-country loop of 1 or 1.2 km, with sessions led by both an external professional running coach and in-house teaching staff. Pupils also benefit from occasional training in Richmond Park, at Barn Elms track, or along the Thames towpath. There are also informal lunchtime recovery runs for all year groups.

Across the two-term season there are around a dozen fixtures, not including the regional and national representative events for which pupils may qualify. Some fixtures are also open to older pupils from St Paul’s Prep School.

Recent Results

For the most recent fixtures and results please view the SOCS website or the most recent copy of the Pauline.