After months of preparation and training, our combined Westlake Boys and Westlake Girls Adventure Racing team recently competed in the North Island Hillary Challenge Qualifier in the Rotorua region, a demanding six-hour rogaine-style event that tested endurance, navigation, teamwork, and determination.
The event began with an exciting challenge before competitors had even started racing, with teams required to solve a logic puzzle in order to gain access to their course maps. From there, the team set out to maximise points across the course, carefully balancing speed, strategy, and navigation throughout the day.
Our team covered approximately 22 kilometres on foot, running through stunning lakeside scenery around Lake Ōkāreka before travelling over and around Lake Tikitapu. Competitors then completed a team transition into approximately 30 kilometres of mountain biking through the Whakarewarewa Forest Park and surrounding forest trails. The course showcased incredible views, while also demanding resilience and teamwork as teams navigated rugged terrain and challenging conditions.
Despite several team members battling sickness and injuries leading into the event, the team showed incredible determination and perseverance across the entire six hours. Adding to the challenge, three members travelled directly from the Year 13 Ball the night before the race before competing the following morning.
Congratulations to Cayleigh Blackburn, Sasha Bosch, Emma Davies, and Grace Swanson alongside their Westlake Boys teammates, Jayden Whitehead, Callum Hill, Elliot Stephenson, and James Frith, on their outstanding performance, finishing 4th overall and 3rd in the qualifying standings. Their result has secured a place at the National Hillary Challenge Final in October.
The National Final will take place from the 5th to the 9th of October and will see the team compete in a five-day event alongside five other teams from the North Island and six teams from the South Island. With qualification now secured, the team’s focus now shifts towards preparing for the national competition later this year.
This achievement reflects not only the team’s physical preparation, but also their ability to work together under pressure, support one another, and remain composed throughout a physically and mentally demanding event.
A huge thank you must also go to our coaches, staff members, and supporters who dedicated countless hours to helping make this opportunity possible. Their guidance and encouragement played a major role in the team’s success. A special mention must go to Sarah Belcher for her countless hours of dedication and years of experience coaching the adventure racing team, and to Oliver Anderson and Bailey Welch as reserves for their support and commitment (plus Oliver’s bike when we needed it!)
Well done to all involved on an outstanding achievement, and we wish the team all the best as they prepare for Nationals in October.
Written by Cayleigh Blackburn, Year 13.
