Hannah Gapes delivered New Zealand’s top finish at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, placing 19th in the senior women’s 10km in 34:01. Photo / Joe Hale, Athletics NZ
Hannah Gapes delivered New Zealand’s top finish at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, placing 19th in the senior women’s 10km in 34:01. Photo / Joe Hale, Athletics NZ
Rotorua runner Hannah Gapes delivered New Zealand’s top finish at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, placing 19th in the senior women’s 10km in 34:01.
Gapes delivered a well-paced masterclass on the Tallahassee course, working her way through the field over the five, two-kilometre laps.
Gapesfound herself around 30th early on in the race, attaching herself to the back of a chase group that included Lauren Ryan and Leanna Pompeani of Australia.
She moved through the field, notching off, placing improvements, and breaking into the top 20 over the final lap.
Gapes’ 19th place is the latest step in a stellar 12 months that includes a fifth place at the 2025 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships (earning All‑America honours) and eighth place at the 2024 NCAA Championships. She also won the 2025 New Zealand Cross Country Championships in Christchurch, securing selection for Tallahassee.
Hannah Gapes delivered New Zealand’s top finish at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, placing 19th in the senior women’s 10km in 34:01. Photo / Joe Hale, Athletics NZ
“The first few laps were hard, but I just started feeling really good and people started coming back to me. That was encouraging and I was running with some of my NC State teammates for a bit. I was trying to focus on picking people off and running as hard as I could on the last lap,” Gapes said of her run.
“I woke up and thought ‘today’s the day’, I’ve never represented New Zealand in the black singlet before so I was really excited to represent something bigger than myself.”
Rotorua-born Gapes competes for NC State in the NCAA, where she helped the Wolfpack to the 2025 national team title and earned individual All‑American honours (5th).
Domestically, she won the New Zealand Cross Country Championships in August 2025.
The championships were contested on a purpose‑built course at Apalachee Regional Park featuring Florida‑themed obstacles, a man‑made “rollercoaster” hill, sections of sand, water and mud, plus the much‑talked‑about alligator logs, all arranged over multiple loops to repeatedly sap momentum and reward strength and savvy pacing.
The conditions compounded the challenge, with temperatures in the low 20s and humidity above 90% recorded during the races, and numerous athletes across the programme unable to finish as the hot Florida weather took its toll.
On the day, Sophie Hicks and Katrina Andrew completed the Kiwi trio in the senior women’s race, finishing 58th (36:50) and 62nd (37:19) respectively.
In the senior men’s 10km, Toby Gualter was New Zealand’s first finisher in 47th (30:54), with MacCallum Rowe 58th (31:36), William Little 73rd (32:28) and Taonga Mbambo 96th (33:53); Oliver Chignell and Connor Melton unfortunately recorded DNFs on the day.
The senior mixed 4x2km relay raced admirably, finishing in 14th with a total time of 24:48. Christian De Vaal opened with a 5:32 leg, followed by Tillie Hollyer’s 6:45, David Lee’s 5:40, and Boh Ritchie closing in 6:51.
New Zealand’s U20 squads also gained valuable championship experience in the oppressive conditions. Scarlett Robb (48th) led the U20 women, followed by Brynne Gordon (51st), Denika Clooney (55th), Eleanor Pugh (60th) and Poppy Healy (62nd). In the U20 men’s race, Caleb Wagener (39th) was the top Kiwi, with George Wyllie (49th), Corban Holmes (56th), Redd Scampion (61st) and Bede Colbourne (65th) rounding out the team.
