Year 5 girls start their race at the North Otago Primary and Intermediate Schools Cross Country in Oamaru yesterday. Photo: Hamish MacLean
At the meeting, year 4 through year 8 pupils heard encouragement from the crowd of about 300 parents, siblings, teachers and schoolmates who gathered for the races.
Duntroon School’s Kathryn Sim greeted the children and took their names as they finished, congratulating each of the roughly 250 who took part.
Some pupils — from 18 schools from Twizel to East Otago — jumped for joy at the finish line, pupils from different schools patted each other on the back when they tied, some collapsed as they crossed the line, and a few cried.
Yesterday’s cross-country races had been delayed twice, due to weather and a scheduling conflict at Oamaru Racecourse.
