World cross country school challenge winners, grinners, top 10 results on brutal Bathurst course

It’s been described as one of the toughest and most brutal world cross country courses ever but school kids from around the country loved every second of racing it - even the muddy bits.

Hundreds of schoolchildren raced on the course on Friday.

OLYMPIANS, world champions and Australian stars have described the world cross country course being raced at Bathurst on Saturday as tough, brutal, painful and nasty.

The terrain, coupled with high heat and the potential for a late afternoon storm has athletes nervous ahead of the first world cross country titles ever contested in Australia.

But when schoolchildren from around the country raced over it in a fun event on Friday they had the times of their life.

Blackheath’s Joe Williams described the course which boasts obstacles including a mud pit, sand pit and tyres, as hilly but fun.

“I loved it,’’ said the 12-year-old from Katoomba High.

Joe Williams was the winners in his age group.

Orange student Miki Barrett said she enjoyed the unexpected nature of the course.

”The tyres and the mud were the best,’’ she said.

Students from Genazzano school in Melbourne also gave the course the thumbs up.

Miki Barrett said she loved racing at the event.

Students ran just one lap of the course athletes from 50 countries will race on Saturday in 10km women’s and men’s and under 20 races and a 2km mixed team relay.

SCHOOLS CHALLENGE RESULTS

UNDER 13 RESULTS

1 Joey WILLIAMS, 7:48

2 Luka BROWN, 8:09

3 Kaelan WARD 08:12

4 Angus BUCHAN 8:42

5 Tasman HARRISON 8:45

6 Michael RODOV 08:46

7 William CURTIN 8:54

8 Bennett LONGHURST 8:57

9 Riley BRECKON 9:01

10 Finlay O’CONNELL 9:12

The schools challenge saw 1000 plus children race on the course.

1 Ava JOHNSTON 8:22

2 Gabrielle KRANE 8:35

3 Mia THOMSON 8:46

4 Asha BAGLEY 9:36

5 Eva CHIARAMONTE 9:40

6 Sianna FISH 10:00

7 Amelia KIRBY 10:03

8 Lilliana GRABDA 10:06

9 Jemima HEIN 10:10

10 Mikayla ERASMUS 10:27

Under 14 RESULTS

1 Ollie GARTNER 14:57

2 Alex BUTLER 15:12

3 Keeden HARRISON 15:15

4 Aston LAKE 15:32

5 Sebastian CROKE 15:53

6 Owen DIXON 16:05

7 William GREGSON 16:09

8 Toby HOWARD-MOWAT 16:38

9 Kobi AULD 16:50

10 Zachary THOMSON 16:52

1 Lyla RIGBY 17:22

2 Philippa QUARRELL 17:32

3 Madeleine SEKIAS 17:32

4 Tilly WILLIAMS 18:03

5 Maya PENDRIGH 19:07

6 Eloise GLENDENNING 19:19

7 Zoe JOHNSON 20:54

8 Greta CLANCY 21:11

9 Claudia TIERNEY 21:24

10 Lucy BENNETT 23:55

UNDER 16 RESULTS

1 Grace ADAMS 17:18

2 Saffron JENKINSON 17:27

3 Milly BURG 17:55

4 Emily BENNETT 18:14

5 Chloe JOHNSTON 18:24

6 Naiyini MOLLEL 18:42

7 Mabel DUKES 18:59

8 Brianna LOVSHIN 19:48

9 Audrey DUFFIELD 20:01

10 Sophia GARVIN 20:41

1 Angus BYRNE 15:14

2 Marcus KEYES 15:33

3 Elijah GOSBY 15:36

4 Patrick MCMAHON 15:43

5 James MARTINO 15:52

6 Angus BROWN 15:58

7 Angus ARGENT-SMITH 16:08

8 Sam OLIVER 16:11

9 Matthew STONER 16:14

10 Dylan EDWARD 16:17

Athletes in the Golden Ticket race competing. Part of the course raced on Friday.

UNDER 18

1 Georgie GILROY 16:19

2 Ruby FRY 16:31

3 Gwen WATSON 16:44

4 Jemima MORTON 17:06

5 Lilly HORSBURGH 17:07

6 Lillian WALL 17:18

7 Erica MOORE 17:29

8 Zara MOORE: 17:33

9 Phoebe OLIVER 18:18

10 Maeve MCCOWEN 18:27

1 Wolfgang COTRA-NEMESI 13:41

2 Max LUKE 14:06

3 Will HEATH 14:11

4 Hamish DONOHUE 14:25

5 Lawrence KEATES: 14:25

6 Miles CARSON 14:45

7 Nicholas CLAYTON 14:51

8 Harrison BOUWMEESTER 15:04

9 Ben MALCOLM 15:13

10 Cooper BAGLEY 15:14

U20

1 Jack WAIDE 13:51

2 Matthew HOLDICH 15:05

3 Kobe STEWART 15:23

4 Harrison JOHNSTON 15:46

5 Joseph CANTLON 15:51

6 Micheal KING 15:53

7 Thomas KLUCKOW 15:56

8 Alex SHEARS-JONES 15:57

9 Conor SULLIVAN 16:20

10 Charles HUNTER 17:31