Teacher and student on different paths to cross-country

Different journeys. And on Sunday, the same destination. The 123.ie national cross-country championships in Donegal.

For veteran Michelle Finn (defending senior women's holder), and the new kid on the block, Nick Griggs (junior men's title holder), both are aiming for silverware and a place on the Irish team for the upcoming European Championships, but their situations couldn't be any different.

Two-time Olympian Finn is juggling her role as an Irish and PE teacher at Belvedere College in Dublin with a reduced training programme, and admits it has been a challenge.

"I find it really tough," she told RTÉ Sport. "I'm usually teaching PE. I've never really taught Irish before, this is my first year teaching Irish. I've got every year group except second year.

"It's a lot of work. Even just in terms of training, I used to do sessions on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and honestly, I'm just too tired to do three sessions a week.

"I've cut down to two sessions a week just Wednesdays and Saturdays. It's definitely a hard balance."

By contrast, 17-year-old Griggs is in his final year of school and plans to take a gap year before furthering his studies at Ulster University in Belfast in order to concentrate on his running.

The Tyrone native has shot out of the blocks in the last 18 months to become one of the country’s brightest talents.

He is already a double European U20 Gold medallist and finished ninth in his first global final at the World U20 championships in Colombia last summer, clocking 8:04.42 in the 3,000m.

Griggs will be defending his junior title at Rosapenna Hotel and Golf Resort, Donegal, and is hoping to make a bigger impression at the Europeans in Turin having finished 16th a year ago, helping Ireland win silver.

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