However, that’s exactly what was asked of HAAC’s Paul Thompson, Jan Fellowes and Michelle Hetherington earlier this month when they travelled to Cardiff to compete for Scotland in the British and Irish Masters International Cross Country.
Julia Henderson had also been selected, but was unfortunately not able to take part due to injury.
The HAAC trio competed with distinction, but it was Paul who made the journey home from the Welsh capital with a heavier suitcase after landing bronze medals for both his individual and team performances in a highly competitive M55 category.
The cool, calm conditions in Cardiff proved to be perfect for cross country running and Paul motored round the fast, flat eight kilometre course against teams from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
There were no medals for Jan, competing in Scotland’s F55 team and Michelle, who was in the W45 line-up, but both represented their country impressively.
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