Duncan Ross (Boys College now City College), Martin Holmes (High School) twice and the Beamish brothers Hugo and Geordie (Collegiate). All of these outstanding champions would have been impressed with the way Back handled the race.
In the first of two 2000 metre laps Back ran with the leading group. After 1500 metres on the undulating section of the race he exerted pressure at the point he had planned to make his break in the final lap to ascertain how his rivals reacted. Back made the decisive break with 500 metres to run in the last lap. Although the gap closed slightly in the sprint home Back took the title by four seconds.
Rebecca Baker (Whanganui High School) ran outstandingly to finish 5th in the junior girls race. Baker was in fact fourth New Zealander as an international runner representing Fiji was third across the line. Baker also ran the fastest of all our girls in the relays.
Christchurch marked another major step in the running career of this promising athlete.
Year 9 Collegiate athlete George Lambert moved up to the junior grade to strengthen his team and was rewarded by an outstanding seventh position in the older grade. Lambert lost a shoe in the early stages of the race but ran on moving up from 11th at the end of the first of two laps in the 4000 metre race to finish a highly creditable 7th with a gutsy uncompromising performance.
This best ever Collegiate Year 9 effort helped his team to a silver team medal in the three-to-score event with Sam Thrupp finishing in 36th position.
The team event was won by Westake Boys High School who won an unpresented clean sweep of boys' team titles. The Collegiate team can take considerable credit by finishing ahead of Cross Country heavyweights Wellington College, Auckland Grammar School and New Plymouth Boys High school and a whole group of other schools.
On a good day for Wanganui Collegiate School team groups the senior girls also took silver in the three-to-score event with Caitlyn Alabaster 21st, Sarah Lambert 29th and Jane Lennox 31st. They were joined by the Redmayne sisters Ruby and Sophie (65th and 68th) and 400 metre runner Grace Godfrey (80th) to take another silver in the six-to-score event.
The championships started well for Whanganui with the Collegiate Year 9 girls taking a bronze medal in both the three and six-to-score team events in one of the strongest fields for some years.
Ana Brabyn was first home in 13th position, reversing her position with Whanganui Schools champion Ashleigh Alabaster in 17th. Alabaster had run with the event leaders in the opening third of the 3000 metre race but perhaps paid the penalty for this torrid opening pace.
Lucy Brown completed the team effort with an excellent 23rd position in her first major race. The trio were supported by Maddison Gray (46th) Margie Hazelhurst (50th) and Mia Perkins (61st) to make sure of the six-to-score bronze. The group combined well running for Whanganui in the relays the following day to finish 4th, the best placed Whanganui team in the Regional Relays. This very young team clearly have exciting futures in the sport.
The New Zealand Schools Cross Country attracted close to 900 athletes from over 100 Colleges to continue the popularity of this major cross country. Next year's event is closer to home at Spa Park in Taupo and with all centrally located North will provide a greater number of entries.
