Teenager continues family running legacy

Conal Wilson won the 6000m section at yesterday's New Zealand Secondary Schools Cross Country Championships. Photo / Peter Meecham

An Auckland teenager has delivered a triple treat for his family after becoming the third of three brothers to win a national cross country championship.

In winning the 6000m section at yesterday's New Zealand Secondary Schools Cross Country Championships in Dunedin, Auckland Grammar's Conal Wilson also out-ran Westlake College's Dan Hoy, who won a silver medal in the men's sprint triathalon at the 2014 Youth Olympics.

Yesterday's win turned the tables for the 17-year-old after being beaten by Hoy previously this year.

Brothers Declan (2010 and 2011) and Finn (2013) are previous national secondary school cross country champs.

Conal, who has run competitively for four years, said he was inspired by his older siblings.

"They're the people I looked up to the most, I've always looked at them as role models," he said.

"It was good to emulate their success, see the Wilson name win [the title] again."

When he was younger Conal would sometimes try to keep up with his brothers as they trained.

"I tried but I failed," he said.

Finn said Conal had asthma, and always takes a few puff on his inhaler before a race.

The medical condition would catch up to the younger Wilson sometimes while trying to keep pace with his brothers.

"There were a couple of times when he didn't come around a corner, and we'd find him laying on the ground," Finn said.

They'd get him back on his feet and wait until he caught his breath.

Running is a Wilson family tradition, with one of Conal's uncles winning a Commonwealth Games bronze medal.

Conal said he'd like to pursue a running career, and was looking into prospects in the United States of America.