Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Cross country: Runner's Ethiopian link hard to beat

By Peter White
Bay of Plenty Times·
19 Aug, 2014 05:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Deborah Paine, 17, is in the New Zealand Secondary Schools cross-country team to take on Australia in Perth. PHOTO/GEORGE NOVAK

Deborah Paine, 17, is in the New Zealand Secondary Schools cross-country team to take on Australia in Perth. PHOTO/GEORGE NOVAK

Not many New Zealand athletes grow up running around in the high humidity of Ethiopia.

But it is just one of the factors that make Deborah Paine such a unique sportswoman.

The gifted Year 13, Otumoetai College student has excelled at volleyball, swimming, touch rugby and particularly rugby. She is an accomplished halfback and has represented Bay of Plenty at under-19 level and the senior women's sevens team.

But her rapid success as a cross-country runner takes some beating.

Only a few short months ago she competed seriously for the first time but today she flies out with the New Zealand Secondary Schools cross-country team to take on their Australian counterparts in Perth.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I only got into it this year really. I haven't really been into cross country or running seriously until I started training with [coach] Kerry Hill at the start of this year," she said. "It has surprised me how well I have done. I didn't expect any of it really. I just took up the training as part of rugby, just to try [to] get fitter and faster for that, and it kind of all happened."

Paine surprised herself at how much she loved running up and down muddy hills, jumping over fences and the challenges that came with cross-country racing.

"It is different [from] a team sport. It is just you. You are not relying on anyone else but it is a huge mental game. So much of it is in your head, being able to push yourself. It is also more exciting than going round and round the track."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Paine's Ethiopian connection came about through the missionary work of her parents. She lived in Ethiopia for seven years and says it was a huge part of her life.

Coach Hill says she is naturally fit from playing rugby but must have a massive amount of natural ability, as she has done so little distance running.

"She's tough and competitive, and when you put that together with her fitness work, she has done remarkably well," he said.

"She is starting to beat people who have been training hard in distance running for years, have represented New Zealand and who American universities are interested in.

Discover more

Editorial: Mates marry for cup tickets

21 Aug 09:00 PM

"This is her first opportunity to get into an international match and it is highly exciting.

"She is so fast and has such good endurance that she definitely has the potential to be an international distance runner."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Bike racks back for Rotorua buses, Tauranga's a month away

02 Jul 11:55 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

NZ e-bike brand shines at Eurobike global showcase

02 Jul 03:13 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Woman dies after crash on Tauranga Eastern Link

02 Jul 01:22 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bike racks back for Rotorua buses, Tauranga's a month away

Bike racks back for Rotorua buses, Tauranga's a month away

02 Jul 11:55 AM

BoP public buses are being modified after national concerns over night-driving visibility.

NZ e-bike brand shines at Eurobike global showcase

NZ e-bike brand shines at Eurobike global showcase

02 Jul 03:13 AM
Woman dies after crash on Tauranga Eastern Link

Woman dies after crash on Tauranga Eastern Link

02 Jul 01:22 AM
Wet, wet, wet: Rain warning for BoP as more tropical weather looms

Wet, wet, wet: Rain warning for BoP as more tropical weather looms

01 Jul 11:38 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP