The 15-year-old has impressed since winning the England National Cross Country Championships, but is also making a name for herself as a singer and songwriter.
Paige Quinn is fast emerging as a talent to watch this winter following her win at the England Under 15 National Championships in September.
The 15-year-old’s abilities are not limited to sports, however. In addition to her running, Quinn is an aspiring musician. He writes and performs his own songs, which he shares on Spotify, while touring his hometown of Torbay to help fund his fledgling athletics career.
After a difficult three-month injury lay-off over the summer, Quinn made a triumphant return to competition, clocking an impressive 16:31 in the Mid Cheshire 5km at the end of August, a time which ranks her second on the UK all-time list for minuses. – 15 girls.
A remarkable run of 16:48 at the Torbay Cycle Park event also earned her the title of fastest under-15 girl in the history of the awards. He now has his sights set on the European Championships in Antalya in December, where he will aim to make his mark in the Under-20 category.
Paige Quinn
How did you first get into athletics?
I used to play soccer a lot with my sister. He played on a team, but I wasn’t old enough at the time, so I just went to training with him. I wasn’t very good, but I was a bit of a nuisance, just running up and down the pitch.
My dad noticed my energy level and how I couldn’t stop running, so he introduced me to parkruns and I started doing them regularly. After that he looked for a local athletics club and signed me up for Torbay AC at the age of nine.
How did it feel to win the national khachkar championship?
I really didn’t expect it because I’ve been injured a lot this year with a knee injury. I missed a lot of competitions like the School Games and I didn’t train much either.
I think the nationals being reclassified worked in my favor because I wasn’t ready to win it last year. I’m not really good at racing, but I was just going out trying to hang on to the front pack and get ahead if I could. I was shocked when I got first because I’m not used to leading a race, so it was an amazing feeling to get through the last stretch.
Did you expect to run a 16:31 PB in the 5km this year?
After my injury, I didn’t really have much time to train, so I was just competing for fitness. I did about three races in the same week and a few 5km road races. I wasn’t really happy with my performance on them.
But it was amazing when I got 16:31. I didn’t really expect it, but I think it helped that I was racing with a lot of athletes.
The first kilometer was around 3:05 and I couldn’t slow down. I would get stampeded by the fast runners behind me. I didn’t know about the time until my dad informed me after I finished it. I was shocked because I beat my personal best by about 20 seconds.
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What other interests do you have outside of running?
I sometimes go on buses in the summer to fund travel costs for races and gear. I’ve written a few songs with my dad and I have a few songs on Spotify produced by my friend Tom Ward.
It was a hobby I started a few years ago and then I started competing with running and realized how expensive it was so I thought commuting might be a good idea. I started learning guitar from there and I taught myself on YouTube.
What are your next steps?
I would like to be selected for the European Under-20 Championship this year. Obviously it will be a challenge because I’m only in the Under-17s (for the trials in Liverpool on November 23) but it would be amazing. I would also like to do well in the British Cross Challenge.
I would like to set some personal bests on the track next year in the 1500m and 3000m if I don’t get injured.
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What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far?
Listen to your body. With all the injuries I’ve had, I think I was so young and wanted to please and impress people that I just went through the pain. If I had a little grimace, I would make it worse by going through it. I should have listened to my body, but I know that now.
This is a feature that appears in the November issue of AW magazine, Ssubscribe to AW magazine herecheck out our new podcast! here or subscribe to our digital archive of back issues from 1945 to the present day here
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