By Keith Teo (26A01B, Vice-Captain)
Running is not just a sport, it’s a lifestyle.
At Raffles Cross Country, you will be pushed beyond your limits. Not just by the hot blazing sun beating down on you and the track, but also by your legs which will feel like concrete by the time you finish the 8th lap of your 200m rep. Yet, you will never in your life have felt more alive.
At Raffles Cross Country, you will push your discipline. Training sessions take place from 4pm to 6pm on Monday and Friday, and 8am to 10am on Wednesday. It’s a heavy commitment.
On top of that, your resilience is tested throughout the workout. Should you or should you not skip that unbearably long and painful 1km all-out rep, or should you or should you not run to the toilet to have an ‘emergency’ amidst your rep?
However, you will be glad that our training doesn’t solely take place on the track. Every Monday, we train at MacRitchie Reservoir, where you can train amidst nature, something very different from our normal workouts. While training is difficult, recovery is prioritised to ensure we can manage the workload.
At Raffles Cross Country, you will achieve the pinnacle of fitness. Our workouts vary. For instance, our workout was once 5 mins at race pace, 8x200m, 800m all-out, 8x200m, 400m all-out. Sounds difficult? It is difficult. Though, you will feel a sense of accomplishment completing the workout, and this will push you far beyond what you think you are capable of.
And the rewards? Ten-fold. Your endurance? As if you can sustain a whole marathon. Your speed? Usain Bolt (maybe even faster). Your agility? Faster than you can say Tristan Chee Jun Yang (Our captain).
However, not everything at Raffles Cross Country is a test. At RIXC, you’ll find your family. From the endearing and diligent coaches, to our favourite CCA teachers (shoutout to Ms Tan and Mr Wong), to the same few faces that have seen you at your absolute worst on the track, you’ll find that no amount of blood, sweat and tears shed on the track will ever make you regret pursuing this sport. While we might love running, we all definitely love each other a lot more. Some of the outings we’ve had include team lunches at Sports Hub, weekly dinners at Bosch (the coffeeshop opposite RI) savouring a bowl of Mala, and even indulgent visits to Haidilao.
In addition, we love participating in various running competitions such as the National School Games 2025—where we proudly placed 2nd overall in Cross Country—as well as Wings XC 2025. We also participate in a myriad of running events, such as Run For Hope, Great Eastern Women’s Run, POSB Run, and more.
As RIXC, we all owe a huge thanks to our CCA coaches (Coach Fabian and Coach Dillon!) for the time and effort they have poured into nurturing us into excelling individuals. They have never faltered in their extraordinary prowess to push us to our limits, and encourage us even when we are down. They believe in everybody, no matter whether you are new to the sport. As long as you are willing to put in effort, they will be willing to help you. Importantly, our training at RIXC is extremely personalised, specialised and high quality.
In conclusion, RIXC will be an unforgettable part of your Raffles life. No matter how difficult and tiring trainings may be, at the end of the day, you will relinquish yourself in the sense of utter delight from being part of the one and only RIXC team.
