ASPIRING athlete Lauren Booth will be going all out to earn a place in the England cross country team when she represents Greater Manchester at the Inter-Counties Championship next month.

The 18-year-old Bury Athletic Club runner made the Greater Manchester team after finishing seventh at the county championships, with the top eight qualifying.

It will be a tough task to step up further, with the top four at the Inter-Counties guaranteed a place in the England team.

But Booth is determined to give it her best shot when she lines up alongside the country's most promising cross country runners on March 11, at a new course at Prestwold Hall in Loughborough.

“I’m really proud to be competing at such a high level," said the teenager, who is also a keen triathlete.

“To think I’ll be on the same start line as Olympians is amazing, it will be surreal looking around me and seeing such legends like the Brownlee brothers (Alastair and Johnny).

“It will be tough to try and earn an England vest.

"The race will be on a new course at Loughborough and the quality of the athletes on the start line will be really high, but I will push through and try my best.”

Booth, who lives in Bury, has chosen to follow a career in sport, whether as a professional athlete or as a coach.

She is currently studying a level three advanced fitness course at Hopwood Hall College in Middleton, and works as a

life guard and fitness trainer at Castle Leisure Centre and Heywood Sports Village.

As well as representing Bury AC, the youngster also competes for Bolton Triathlon Club.

Her stamina helped her win the Coniston 10k trail race in October and finish fifth overall in the Red Rose Cross Country League, which Bury AC won.

But Booth expects to really come into her own in the summer's track and field, when she will concentrate of the 400m.

“I absolutely love running," she added.

"I’m hoping to move into more sprint-orientated races in the future but I’ll still keep up some of the long-distance trails.

"In the summer, when I'm doing my sprint races, I'm hoping to medal at the Greater Manchester Track and Field Championships in the 400m.

“One of the biggest challenges is working out a life balance though.

"As a student athlete you still want to go out with friends at weekends, which is when you’re always training or racing.

"Then on top of that I have to find time to train in the week between studying and my job.”