Whanganui schools dominate the Round the Lake Relays

Virginia Lake was a happy place for Whanganui teams at the 40th annual Round the Lake Relay on Monday with city-based schools winning five of the 10 team titles.

A sixth was won by near neighbours from Marton, Hunley School. There were a further six local teams who made the podium.

The hosts Wanganui Collegiate School had their most successful year in the history of the event winning four team titles. The Senior Boys win was only the second ever for the school with Wanganui Boys College (now Whanganui City College) being the only other Whanganui school to win the senior boys team title. Their win came in the inaugural year in 1979 when New Zealand International Dean Crowe ran a sensational anchor leg overcoming a 150-metre deficit.

This senior boys' win was backed up by a win in the senior girl's grade and for the first time in the race history the senior titles went to the same school.

Collegiate also took the junior girls' title supported by a win in the Junior B Girls in the shape of the Harvey House team. The Junior B grade is for schools fielding more than one junior team. Harvey went on to win the House event run in conjunction with the relay.

Whanganui Intermediate took the Intermediate Schools girls' grade in emphatic fashion with Huntley School second and Westmere School third. Huntley won the boy's grade with a young St Georges team second and Westmere taking third place.

The traditionally strong Wellington College teams dominated the junior boys' grades taking first and second at Year 9 level, winning the Junior (under 16 grade) and for good measure taking first and second in the Junior B Grade.

In the Year 9 grade, Whanganui High School took third. North Island Schools junior 800 metre champion Nathaniel Kirk ran an outstanding first leg and led through the first change further highlighting his outstanding potential.

The senior boys' race featured some of the strongest school combinations in New Zealand with hosts Wanganui Collegiate lining up against New Zealand cross country heavyweights Palmerston North Boys' High School, Wellington College, New Plymouth Boys' High School and St Patrick's Silverstream.

Liam Back gave Collegiate the perfect start and, in the process, took the Bates Watchmakers-sponsored prize with for the fastest first leg in the senior race. Fellow New Zealand schools International Zach Bellamy retained and slightly increased the team lead.

Palmerston North Boys' High school ran their strongest runner Benjamin Wall third, and although narrowing the gap Joseph Sinclair was able to hand over enough distance to his brother William for the anchor leg. William widened his advantage to bring the Collegiate team to their second senior title.

Hannah O'Connor (Sacred Heart New Plymouth) made it three fastest first laps in a row in the senior race. Although three seconds down on her record equalling performance of last year, O'Connor after injury should be delighted with her performance.

Predictably Tessa Hunt of Wellington East was second through that first lap.

Unfortunately, New Secondary Schools team mates Rebecca Baker (Whanganui High) and Kirstie Rae were not running injured and Collegiate's Sarah Lambert who had been sick the night before and chose to run last.

Her team, however, gave Lambert a narrow lead over Wellington East Girls' and Sacred Heart, New Plymouth. Lambert held her lead with Sacred Heat improving to second and Wellington East third.

The Collegiate Junior team also held a slender lead over Wellington East going into the final leg. North Island Schools junior 800 metre champion, Ana Brabyn, ran a superb anchor leg to significantly increase the lead to take the title and in the process brought her team up to second across the line in the race for the combined senior and junior grades.

The ever- popular event attracted 119 teams from 24 schools. The special magic of Virginia Lake, the team nature of the event that provides both competition for the elite and at the same time the opportunity for wide participation in a team event, helps guarantee the place of the event in the school calendar.

Over the history of the event many hundreds of secondary school children from throughout the lower North Island and beyond have seen the very best of Whanganui.