Cross Country 2026

By Harry McDonald

The 2026 edition of the John McGlashan Cross Country took place on Wednesday 13th May, and what a day it was. Dunedin finally put in a good performance with the weather, with sun beaming down on the field. The air was thick with anticipation, with the boys sticking their barcodes onto their house singlets, and getting prepared for the race ahead.

First up was the years 7 and 8 3km race. The piercing sound of Mr McDonald’s whistle rang out over Māori hill, and the boys tore off. As always, there were some bolters out the gates, but unfortunately for them, by the end of the field that energy had already run out, and they were soon passed. In the end, it was George Crayford who held his nerve and managed his stamina well to finish first in the tightly contested year 7 race. For the year 8’s, it was a strong finish from Luie Broom to see him home for the win.

Next was the Novice and Junior 4km race. After some light stretches all of the boys were ready to attack the course. Once again the whistle rang out and the stampede of boys set off down the field. Travis Winterborne quickly established his spot at the front of the pack, a spot that he would inevitably hold for the duration of the race, eventually taking out the Junior division for Burns. It was Burns with another first place in the Novice division as well, with Tarn Elder storming home to win.

With these races complete, the senior Balmacewen boys would have to pull off the comeback of all comebacks to retain the five year JMC cross country win-streak. As the whistle rang out for the final time, it was truly an outright sprint out of the blocks, with some boys losing their footing in the process. The 5km race truly tested the boy’s fitness levels, and by the end of the lap around the school, the front-runners were well clear. It was pure class from Will Harrex, not only winning the Senior race by over two minutes, but leading his beloved Balmacewen from the front. Next to the finish was Eddie Weir, also from Balmac. Was there an outside chance? The next singlet to get to the field was… school uniform? It was Noah McCoubrey rounding the bend in school uniform, boots and all, for…….. Burns.

At the end of the day, it was an emphatic win for Burns, no-so closely followed by Balmacewen, Gilray, and then Ross. A huge thank you to all of the teachers and staff for encouraging the boys along the way and making the event possible.