Southland Harriers eNewsletter

Massive Weekend of Cross-Country Running

The start line dazzle was laid down, finish line banner erected, bib numbers disturbed, marshals on point and eagled eyed, timing clock ready to go, standards placed and flagging stretched far across the field, rabbit holes filled, bbq warming up, first aid tent stocked, officials high vized up, photographers perched, slight wind and sun out…………..RUNNERS ON YOUR MARKS!!

The scene on Sunday at the South Island Secondary School Cross-Country Festival was nothing short of amazing, with both runners, spectators, and volunteers creating a new and unforgettable vibe at Oreti Sands.

A request from Timaru almost a year earlier set the ball rolling for the hosting of this years event in Southland. An awesome opportunity for our grass roots Harrier Committee to take on a large and important event on the South Island Cross-Country Calendar. 29 Schools and 200 Runners from Year 7-8 through to Year 13 tested themselves on what was described as a tough, hard but fun course. Especially that “back hill”!!

Seeing so many Southland Harriers on the start line, giving there all was the best part of the day (though we could be a bit basis), and their was some fantastic results across the board.

Yr 7 Girls- Holly Hall 1st, Eadie Palmer 4th, Heidi Ferris 7th

Yr 7 Boys- Baxter Tamariki 1st, Charlie Braaskma 2nd

Yr 8 Girls- Piper Muir 6th

Yr 8 Boys- Sean Iversen 1st, Kev Gerritsen 6th

Yr 9 girls-Frey Gilmour 2nd, LIly Wiegersma 3rd, Laykn Ah Kuoi 4th.

Yr 9 Boys- CJ Ivernsen 3rd, Cooper Flowers 6th

Junior Girls- Charlotte Hawkes 1st, Nina Gerritsen 7th

Junior Boys- Hunter Flowers 2nd, Mahe Braaskma 3rd, Brodie Mcilwrick 4th, Flynn Webber 8th

Senior Girls- Millie Mcfadzien 1st, Ianthe MacMillan Armstrong 6th, Jazz Braaksma 14th

Senior Boys-James Webber 1st, Hudson Roy 7th, Cayden Sanginiti 8th, Lewis Blay 10th, Logan Jordan 14th

Apologies if we missed anyone.

Full Results

The Southland Harriers Chair got the chance to talk to some of the athletes after their run and ask them about the course, the event, the weather and race strategy.

Kings High (Dunedin) brought down 12 runners to compete across the boys age groups. Dan Kellher who placed 3rd in the Senior Boys said the course was “super good, mix of hills and flats, a undulating course where you could put in some good efforts.” Thomas Weatherall (6th) had a race strategy to work the hills which obviously worked for him with a fantastic result in a stacked field. Fairfield Primary also brought down 12 runners from Dunedin and the black and red singlet stood out on the start line of the Year 7-8 events. They rated the course 10 out of 10, and thought it was challenging and fun with hills like bike jumps. Timaru Boys loved how in their words “bumpy” the course was, more like a true cross-country course then other events, tough and challenging with sharp corners and steep hills. They also rated our Southland weather, the road trip and really want to come back next year for another round.

Local Brothers Hunter and Cooper both talked about “the back hill”, raved about our favorable weather conditions and said even though they had run the course before, during Harriers events and training still found the race challenging with its up and downs. Mahe Braaskma couldn't stop talking about the hills, not the long hills he loves to run but the multiple short sharp ones, out the back of the course. Freya Gilmour also talked about the “bumpy” course, and how really cross-country it felt, which she thinks is her strength. All four are super keen on hosting the event again next year.

Paul Dominikovich from Timaru Boys who started the event explained to the crowd just how important it is that events like the Cross-Country Festival exist. For him it was about showing Primary Kids up through to Seniors that Cross-Country Running is a legitimate sport. That young runners can get together and compete as a school and individually, and that runners who take podium spots at the South Islands go on to podium Nationally and Internationally. Paul talked about where the sport can take you and named dropped two local Athletic legends Kennedy Taylor and James Mcleay, who came along to the event and helped present medals. Both Kennedy and James are both studying in America on sport scholarships currently and it was great to see them show up and support all the runners on Sunday.

So thank you to all the runners and supporters that travelled and supported the event being held in Southland. Like all big events, none of it is possible without the volunteers who show up, eager to put their all into creating a great event for all of our young runners. So thank you to each everyone of you glorious volunteers. An extra shout out to our two photographers who captured all those precious moments out on the course, the gritty hill grimaces are the best!

Finally a million thanks to Linda Te Au, who stepped up and made this event happen. Every organizing committee needs a Linda, and we couldn't possible thank her enough for everything she does for our Running Community!!

LOADS OF PHOTO'S ON FACEBOOK AND VIA DARREN FRAZERS LINK BELOW

Darren Frazers Amazing Photos

Southland Tribute Article

3rd Annual Kartsport Challenge (5km Champs)

We will be hosting this event at Kartsport Southland located on Pitt Road at Sandy Point. U10 and U12 runners will run 2km, all other grades will complete 5km and will run together. This venue is a fantastic spectators venue, and our vision is not only to have a safe, fast, road event but also to create an awesome club atmosphere.

The hot coffee and doughnuts at the finish line are also a highlight.

Registration Link: https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=425023

REGISTER EARY……DONT BE DISSAPOINTED, REGISTRATIONS CLOSE WEDNESDAY 3rd JUNE. NO ENTRIES AFTER THIS DATE!!!!

Event starts at 2pm sharp, please arrive early to sign in, warm up and hear race briefing.

This event is open to all runners and walkers, you do not need to be a club member to take part. We welcome and love the company of non-club runners!!

However, the event will encompass the Southland 5km Champs. To be eligible for club trophies and age grade certificates for the 5km event you will need to be registered to a Southland Athletics Club as a competitive member, wearing a club singlet/t-shirt and be running 5kms.

Juniors will receive a certificate for participation (no placings).

For this event you may use a support person to count laps. The run will consist of 8 laps around the Kartsport Track for the 5kms event, Under 10's and 12's will run 3 laps for 2kms. This event is known for PB's!!!

CATEGORIES: Masters is your age on the day. Everyone else is your age as of December 31st 2026. Example Alex turns 14 on October 25th, because he will be 14 before the end of the year he will be in the under 16 category. Any questions send us an email.

Cost: $10 Seniors/Masters and $5 for Juniors. Please see webscorer registration for bank account details, or bring cash on the day.

Any questions or queries please contact us at southlandharriers@gmail.com.

HARRIERS COMMUNITY EVENT ORETI SANDS

Before 200 Runners traipsed the straights and hills of Oreti Sands Golf Course. The Southland Harriers gathered for what was a pretty cool community event.

For the price of tin of peaches or box of Weetabix (donated to local food bank). We invited our community out to test the South Island Secondary Schools Cross-Country Course.

A solid crew of volunteers set up everything exactly for Sunday's big event. It was great to see so many put up their hands to help out, and made for a bit of fun before the community event.

The challenge of the community event…………as many laps as you wanted to complete of the 1.6kms course in one hour. No registrations, no results posted, just the runner vs the course, and a chill afternoon for all the Sunday volunteers.

Highlights of the day!!!

The Honiss Boys, 1 lap for junior Honiss, 2 laps for big brother Honiss, and then Dad was off for multiple laps with the best cheer squad ever behind him. The superb efforts of our nine lappers, thats right nine laps in under an hour. David Perry and Brad Hitchens final lap effort, both coming in seconds before the hour struck one. The reappearance of the young Rabbits (great to see you both), the company of the older Foxes and the smiles of our race director Linda Te Au.

There was a lot of laughs, and good discussions on how we could incorporate the idea of a mini backyard type event into our programme next year.