Completing the New York City Marathon on Sunday with Nelson teammates Lester Binns, Andrew Board and Kim Ngawhika was a relief and the accomplishment of a long-held personal goal.
The inspiration for this mad mission came about last year when I told Nelson running legend Rod Dixon that I was travelling to the USA for the school reunion from my time as an AFS exchange student 40 years ago. It was the same year Rod won the New York City Marathon. He noted he had an allocation of entries in recognition of his stunning win and challenged me to have a go.
Rod has spent the years following his marathon win promoting children’s fitness through Rod Dixon’s KiDSMARATHON. This programme involves children running a mile a day, achieving the 26.2 miles (42.2km) over a school term. It has been completed by 1.3 million kids, mainly in the USA.
We stitched together the idea of a Nelson team running this iconic marathon as a fundraiser for the cause. We are grateful for the sponsorship of Matthews Eyecare, Gibbons, Smith Cranes, Good Storage, TSM and the many smaller donations.
I am no athlete but like to participate in all sports. I did the Coast to Coast, kayaked the Cook Strait and completed a couple of half marathons in my 30s. The problem is I am 25 years older.
The training has been good for body and soul. It had the bonus of getting me more familiar with our city’s wonderful network of pathways and tracks. I also take pride that Nelson has been rated as the most active region in NZ and I feel a duty as Mayor to promote exercise.
I want to thank my teammates and the coaching support of both Rod Dixon and former Boston Marathon winner Lorraine Moller. We are also grateful for the coordinating support of Sport Tasman, which we are working with to implement Rod’s running programme in local schools.
Our goal is to have 1000 Nelson and Tasman children complete Rod Dixon’s KiDSMARATHON programme over the next few years. We welcome further donations via our Givealittle page. Our aim is a new generation of active Nelsonians. We may even inspire a future running legend.
