Isabella Pickering brings home bronze and relay silver from Whangārei, with strong support from teammate Amy Houwniet.

Isabella Pickering, fresh off the podium at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Cross Country Championships in Whangārei, raced against some of the best in the country.

She ran a brilliant race to earn bronze in the Under 17 Girls 4km event, a huge achievement in a field stacked with talent from across Aotearoa. The Orewa College Year 12 ākonga didn’t stop there. She backed it up with a historic silver medal as part of the North Harbour/Northland “A” team in the interprovincial relay.

Teammate Amy Houwniet also gave it everything in the 4km individual race, flying the flag for Orewa with pride. With more than 120 schools and 700 athletes competing, the course was no picnic. Heavy rain, strong winds and steep muddy hills tested every runner.

Ka mau te wehi, kōrua. We’re so proud of you both.

 📷 Photo credit: Steph Pickering