IT'S always tough and challenging, and this year’s Whakatāne High School cross country proved no different.

There were no records broken in 2024, but there was plenty of laughter, enjoyment and challenges through the 8.2-kilometre run.

Whakatāne High School teacher in charge of physical education Mark Hanlen said overall it was a fantastic event.

“We had a really good cross country this year. The weather forecast for the day had us freaking out a little bit in terms of the weather, but by the time we started the race the conditions were perfect.

“It was overcast, the ground was dry, and we had really good levels of participation this year.”

Hanlen said it was great seeing a large number of students give the cross-country race a crack, even if they walked portions of it.

“The kids really enjoyed it. We had staff out there racing it, students out there racing it and the amount of support from staff in terms of marshalling to make sure it was safe was great. It was just a great afternoon.”

The race leaves from the school, goes past the Athletics Club, along Rex Morpeth Park, up the Bird Walk, down White Horse Drive and Mokorua Gorge, along Goulstone Road, then back across Rex Morpeth Park to the finish line at the school.

“There were no records, but the records that have been set were set by some exceptional runners,” Hanlen said.

He said the run presented a good challenge for the competitors.

“We’re really lucky it’s an authentic cross-country track that is more than 8km long and features more than 150m of elevation when they get to Mokorua Gorge.”