Police confirmed to the Bay of Plenty Times that two people suffered moderate injuries in a two-vehicle crash on State Highway 1 at the Matarawa Rd intersection about 8.20am on June 19. <\/p>\n
The other driver was later issued an infringement notice for failing to give way.<\/p>\n
Despite being shaken by the crash, the girls were all uninjured. They decided to continue to the championships after a trip to hospital and discussions with each other, their parents and supporters.<\/p>\n
What might have been a reason to withdraw instead became a rallying point for the runners, who drew motivation from one another as they prepared to compete the next day.<\/p>\n
Georgia Duske, 15, Poppy Hinde, 14, Heidi Young, 15, and Eliza Dunn, 14, were in the car when the crash happened and spoke to the Bay of Plenty Times about the experience. <\/p>\n
Eliza said the girls were watching a movie and looked up when they heard a scream.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember I looked up and we\u2019re all screaming because we had crashed. We were just sitting in the car crying, because the airbags had gone off, and it was smoking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Georgia said that, when the other car pulled out, she felt a slight brake and thought they were going to be fine.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just happened so fast, and I was in shock that it had actually happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heidi said, \u201cWe all screamed, and it was quite scary. I think we didn\u2019t really process what had just happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
The girls were initially unsure whether they would be able to compete and considered making the trip simply to support their other teammates.<\/p>\n
Poppy said the immediate aftermath of the crash left them questioning whether racing was the right decision.<\/p>\n
The damage to the car the four girls were travelling in. <\/p>\n
\u201cJust after the crash, we were all kind of like, \u2018Oh, I don\u2019t know if we\u2019re going to race tomorrow.\u2019 It had just happened, and it felt so big.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think as time went on and we\u2019re processing it, it became more and more likely that we would race. We said we\u2019ll see how we felt in the morning and make a decision then.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teammates Daisy Ruthe, 14<\/a>, and Mackenzie Hetherington, 15, had flown down before the championships and were shocked to learn of the crash.<\/p>\n \u201cMy dad came over and said, \u2018Your team got into a crash,\u2019 and first I thought he was joking because that\u2019s not something you ever think will happen to your team,\u201d Daisy said.<\/p>\n Mackenzie found out through a message from Daisy.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought she was lying because it\u2019s just not really something that you ever think will happen, but I messaged the girls and checked that they were all okay.\u201d<\/p>\n A parent travelling in a separate vehicle was able to pick up the girls after the crash and continue their journey to Upper Hutt.<\/p>\n Reunited after a \u201cscary\u201d day, the six runners shared hugs, swapped stories and talked through the day\u2019s events.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was the loudest conversation ever because we were all trying to tell the story at the exact same time,\u201d Eliza said.<\/p>\n \u201cThese guys [Daisy and Mackenzie] were taking it in, and that\u2019s when we realised: we\u2019re in Wellington, we didn\u2019t just come here for no reason.\u201d<\/p>\n Georgia said Daisy and Mackenzie\u2019s support gave the girls a much-needed \u201cenergised\u201d lift, helping turn uncertainty into the belief they could still race as a team.<\/p>\n \u201cI just remember wanting to do it for the team, and run hard.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re all trauma-bonded now, and I think it\u2019s made us all closer,\u201d Poppy said.<\/p>\n Competing against the country\u2019s best at Trentham Memorial Park, the girls were crowned Junior Girls National Champions.<\/p>\n They defended their six-member team title, securing back-to-back national victories.<\/p>\n Leading the charge was Daisy, who finished second in the junior girls\u2019 3km race, crossing the line ahead of 112 other runners in a field of 114 competitors.<\/p>\n She was supported by Mackenzie, in ninth, Eliza in 18th, and Georgia in 24th. Poppy finished 68th and Heidi 87th, helping secure enough points to win both team titles.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was such a good feeling because we had won it last year, so we wanted to win it again,\u201d Mackenzie said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe medals feel a lot more superior because we went through a lot and then walked away with the win,\u201d Eliza said.<\/p>\n Daisy said the medals represented everything the team had experienced.<\/p>\n \u201cI was just really proud, no matter if we won or not, that we actually got there in the end together.\u201d<\/p>\n