Athletes on good run

GYMPIE'S elite cross country runners have returned home with medals and personal bests in the Australian Schoolsport Cross Country championship held in Nowra, New South Wales.

GYMPIE'S elite cross country runners have returned home with medals and personal bests in the Australian Schoolsport Cross Country championship held in Nowra, New South Wales.

Shaun Lee and Clare O'Brien were part of the Queensland team that took on Australia's best over a torturous cross country course.

The course wound its way through a farm outside of Nowra and had plenty of steep hills to test the competitors.

Extreme cold and wet conditions didn't make things any easier for the Gympie competitors as they ran the three-kilometre course.

Thirteen-year-old Shaun Lee, of James Nash State High School, finished sixth overall in a time of 10 minutes flat, only 11 seconds behind the winner.

The result makes him one of the country's best cross country athletes.

He said training on the Gympie hills with mentor Keith Brown and up Cootharaba Road helped him perform well on the hilly course.

Lee backed up for the relay event as part of the Queensland team and the Maroons took the bronze medal.

The Gympie runner's 1500m split time was the second fastest of the event.

Eleven-year-old Clare O'Brien, of Gympie West State School, finished ninth in her event in a time of 11m 36 s.

The Year 6 student then claimed a silver medal when her Queensland relay team finished second against the rest of the states.

Clare said she had a great time meeting up with old friends and going to the Jambaroo Theme Park on their rest day.

Brendan Westlake made the trip to Nowra, but was unable to compete.

Ex-Gympie student Jack Curran went on to win the Australian title in his age group.

Look out for his story coming up in The Gympie Times.

Originally published as Athletes on good run