Orange High School nabbed the schools title in 2019 at the running festival, and Sheahan PDHPE teacher Sue Dean is determined to get it back.

"We do like to get in and compete, definitely," she said.

"Orange High pipped us last year and they had a big strong team so there's always a good strong teams from all the schools."

Although the rivalries are friendly, Dean said she was hoping to bring in as many as 30 or 40 students, plus a staff team for the festival on March 7 and 8, and what was more important than winning the title was the impact it has on students and staff.

"It's really good for school spirit," she said.

"We like being part of the event and it's a really good community event that the running festival committee has built.

"I know it's grown enormously since they started it and the kids love doing it."

The festival helps build a "healthy habit" for students, and brings many of them into running as part of a team environment - and not just in high schools, which was something Dean noted.

"I know the primary schools all have a good showing too and play a big part of it, too, which is really nice," she said.

The Orange Running Festival has found a new home for 2020, moving from the old location at Bloomfield to the expanse of Gosling Creek.

The move has made the process of getting permits and clearances much easier, with the running festival committee only needing to clear one sign-off from council at Gosling Creek instead of the four or five in the medical precinct.