Westfields Sports High School students Eliza Barton, Bianca Grimaldi, Michala Ford and Annaleise Barton won the Balmoral Burn Head of the Hill School Challenge.                                                         Picture: NICK ANDREAN

Burning calories in Balmoral

Brian Karlovsky
WESTFIELDS Sports High School athletes have continued their dominance of the gruelling Balmoral Burn with the girls' team winning the Head of the Hill High School challenge relay.

  The team of four, Eliza Barton, 17, Bianca Grimaldi, 14, Michala Ford, 14 and Annaleisa Barton, 15, edged out North Shore rivals Pymble Ladies College by half a second to take the race in 8min 50sec.

  In 2007, the first year Westfields Sports High entered a girls team, they

FEEL THE BURN

The Balmoral Burn was initiated by Wallabies great Phil Kearns in 2001.

It is a 420m run or walk up Mosman's Awaba St.

The event raises money for sick children

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won the event, breaking the Head of the Hill course record by 45 seconds.

  Westfields Sports High athletics coach James Fitzgerald said his students put their stamp on the event in their six years competing.

  "We have done really well in the event and we have set the benchmark for the surrounding private schools," he said. "They are a vert talented groups of kids.

  Bianca Grimaldi said it was a great feeling to be part of a winning team in her first attempt tackling the impossibly steep hill.

  "It was difficult," she said. "At the start it was OK, but towards the end you feel it and then it just hurts. We will definitely be back next year."

  Westfields boys team came second in a time of 7min 20sec.