Aranui Interschool Cross Country proving a fertile breeding ground for future athletes

Huntley's Hamish Cranstone (red) comes from behind to just edge out Kaleb Compton from Westmere to win his third consecutive Aranui Interschool Cross Country race last week.

The annual Aranui Interschool Cross Country is proving a fertile breeding ground for future top-flight Whanganui track and field athletes.

And the 29th running of the event in Castlecliff went true to form, with Hamish Cranstone winning the Senior Boys - 10 Years and Over race last Thursday.

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href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/wanganui-chronicle/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503426&objectid=12268694" target="_blank">29th Annual Aranui Primary Interschool Cross Country results

Cranstone, who has just turned 11, will go down in history as winning in three consecutive years - once as junior and again as a senior for Fordell School and last week as a senior for Huntley School in Marton.

Event organiser and Aranui Primary School administration manager Sue Redmond said others had won back-to-back titles over the many years the event has been run and most had gone on to better and bigger things in athletics.

"It's not that uncommon, surprisingly, but those who have won in successive years have gone on to bigger things," Redmond said.

"The likes of Ashleigh, Caitlyn and Fleur Alabaster and the Lennox siblings Jane and Adam have all made names for themselves in track and field and cross country later on, or in other sports. It appears we may have another one in young Hamish Cranstone."

Jane Lennox, of course, went on to represent New Zealand at the World Junior Cross Country Championships in Hungary in 2016, while Ashleigh Alabaster is in the New Zealand team to run at the next worlds in Slovakia.

Cranstone is also a keen swimmer and enjoys cricket, but his latest focus is on training for the upcoming national triathlon championships in Wanaka for Huntley.

The youngster uses the hills around the family farm at Kauangaroa just beyond Fordell as his own private training ground and it was this environment that gave him the endurance to claim victory in the senior section at Aranui last week.

It was arguably his toughest Aranui test, coming from behind in final 150 metres to win the race by the skin of his teeth. Cranstone and young Kaleb Compton from Westmere School jostled all the way to the finish line in one of the tightest finishes of the day.