Ready, set, go! The five-year-old girls race begins.
Over 300 students from five rural schools raced around Karapiro’s Mighty River Domain recently for the Combined Rural Schools Cross Country.
Students from Karapiro, Roto-o-Rangi, Kaipaki, Te Miro and Horahora schools raced distances from 560m to 2.1kms, navigating hills and haybale hurdles in the process.
Iyla Mitchell (centre) looks back at Roto-o-Rangi schoolmate Darling Kidwell. Left: Millie Orr.
“The event was highly successful and we didn’t let the weather beat us,” said Tina-Maree Thatcher, principal of Karapiro School which organizes the annual event with support from Sport Waikato, Cambridge High School volunteers and staff and parents from the five rural schools.
Te Miro’s Henry Taylor (centre left) begins to overtake Roto-o-Rangi’s Archie Watson (centre right).
“It was also stunning to watch the personal growth of students who gave it their best shot on the day and did their personal best.”
The top qualifiers from each age division were selected to form a rural schools representative team to compete in the following Cambridge Combined Schools Cross Country.
Liam Maano and Cyrus Harvey (centre) couldn’t help but smile in the five-year-old boys race.
