MANCHESTER -- Eighth-grader Madeleine Hunt of Amherst ran like a seasoned veteran in the inaugural Manchester Invitational Middle School Cross Country Meet, staying strong while burning every ounce of energy.

Hunt held off Gretchen McGrath of Londonderry and set the standard for the new 2.1-mile race at hilly — some may say torturous — Derryfield Park with a time of 12 minutes, 42 seconds. The winner crossed the finish line and stayed on her feet long enough to navigate the exit barriers, then collapsed in a controlled heap with help from her mom.

“My arms and legs were on fire, but I just gave it everything I had,” said Hunt, who turned 14 last week and received a GPS running watch for her birthday.

Twenty minutes after the race, her left leg wouldn't stop trembling — as if the final burst of adrenaline had yet to wear off. She sipped Gatorade, waited for the winners' ceremony, and answered questions in a post-race interview. It felt, well, like a big-time state meet.

That was the goal all along among organizers. The middle school event, designed to imitate the annual Manchester Invitational cross country meet at Derryfield Park, gave sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders a taste of serious competition.

They loved it. They hated it.

“Toughest race ever. It was all uphill. The worst one I've ever done,” said Bryce Barrett, a seventh-grader at Litchfield Middle School who finished at 16:43.

Eighth-grader Chris Zaino of Londonderry went home with a winner's trophy after posting a time of 11:39. The Londonderry boys placed four runners in the top 10 to win the team title. The Londonderry girls, led by McGrath at 12:46, also placed four runners in the top 10 and captured the team victory.

More than 200 runners from 14 schools came out for the inaugural middle school meet. Race director Dan Marshall, who coaches the McLaughlin Middle School of Manchester girls, said he turned away about 15 teams. Next year's event will likely double in size, according to organizers.

“The high schools have an awesome event here every year. I thought we should have one for the middle schools,” Marshall said. “I think it's great to showcase Manchester and put the kids on one of the toughest courses in the state. I know my kids have been freaking out for weeks in anticipation of going against the best teams in the state.”

Hunt became one of the state's top middle school runners almost by accident. Her older twin brothers, Matt and Mitch, were back-of-the-pack runners in high school. Nobody could have expected Madeleine's early success.

However, shortly before beginning the fifth grade, she joined a group of friends and signed up for the Crisman Memorial 5K in Amherst. From that day forth, Hunt embarked on a quest to become the very best. She began running for coach Janice Platt in middle school and signed up for the Granite State Flash, a southern New Hampshire running club for ages 6-18. The Flash compete in USA Track & Field Junior Olympic competitions.

“It would be really great to keep going strong through high school and college and maybe go to the Olympics someday,” said Hunt, who credited coach Janice Platt for much of her success. “This is the first time Amherst Middle School has ever done this. We thought it was really great to come here and face the behemoth hills.”