The highlight for the Western Bay of Plenty at the NZ Cross Country Championships was 14-year-old Madison Rennie of Bethlehem College finishing second after just losing the race in the last two metres.
Rennie was in the lead pack most of the way and broke away with 500 metres torun. Up the home straight she had a 10-metre lead however she faltered in the last 50 metres and was overtaken as she crossed the finish line. Oh so close - she thought she had won.
Her performance set up Bethlehem for bronze medals in the three and six-person team competition. Bethlehem had run their Year 9 girls in the Junior Girls building the team on Rennie's expected placing. She is a Year 10 student and a Junior Girl for next year's champs in Palmerston North.
In other results, Kaylee Mudgway from Tauranga Girls' College finished 10th in Year 9 division. Anneke Grogan suffered stomach cramps that saw her fall back from 12th to 27th place, the first time she has not finished in the top 10.
