On Saturday 29 August 2020, the Athletics New Zealand Cross Country Challenge was held at Chisholm Links, Dunedin. Due to Covid-19 travel restrictions preventing Auckland athletes from attending, the 'National Cross Country Championships' were renamed 'Athletics NZ Cross Country Challenge', and Dunedin was very fortunate to be able to host this prestigious event.

With over 270 athletes from across New Zealand competing in the cross country race, warm and windy conditions made for a brilliant display of athletic prowess and competitive spirit by the large field of runners. Four students from Columba College participated in the event, and their impressive results were an absolute credit to their hard work and training commitment.

Our very own Year 12 student, Rachael Turner, was selected in the Otago team for the highly competitive U18 Women's 5km race. After a nervous first 2km, Rachael showed her skill and determination by finishing strongly over the final 3km, gaining her a very creditable 8th place. Rachael's result, along with the placings achieved by her three other Otago teammates, lead to the Otago Women's team finishing first overall in their section. An outstanding result considering the calibre of runners taking part in this event. With another year yet to run in the U18 section, we know Rachael will set her sights high for next year, and we follow her progress with much interest.

Year 9 student Anya Rhodes competed in the U16 Girls 4km race and came across the line in 15th place, with a time of 18.55mins. In a strong field of competitors, this was a great result. 

Year 8 students Lila Rhodes and Melanie Button competed in the U14 Girls 3km race. Both runners performed extremely well, finishing in a highly commendable 10th and 11th place respectively in their section. Well done girls! Achieving such results in Year 8 is definitely worth celebrating.

The Columba College Sports Department, and wider school community are extremely proud of all our runners. Rachael, Anya, Lila, and Melanie, your commitment to the sport of running is something our school continues to be very proud of. We look forward to seeing you compete in the years to come. Keep up the great work girls!