New Zealand

by

AMI Round the Bays 21.7km

Setting up early morning.
The little cannon that was used for the start. Don’t be fooled by its size!
Have your picture framed, courtesy of Malaghan, for the Run for Research members.
At the start – warming up shenanigans.
I decided to go red, orange and white for Malaghan.
Gerry, fresh and ready to go.
More entertainment to make up for the few minutes late start.
The Start banner – far, far away!
On Oriental Parade – the crowd starting to thin out a bit.
Cobham Drive where we encountered the first 10km returnies.
Gerry, clearly having a good day on the road.
Past the halfway point – me at full speed.
The out and back section is very sociable.
Gerry really having a blast at the turnaround point.
Fly, fly away – only about 7km to the finish.
Our walk through Mt Victoria Tunnel on the way back to the start, some 4km from the finish.
Comfort/reward food in the form of beer and pizza.

Let me say upfront that I am no good at asking people for money. As much as I would run around any Bay, around New Zealand or around the World for that matter to support a good cause, I just can’t get myself to ask people for money. I assign this to the fact that for the first 40 years of my life I lived in a country where the vast majority of the population are in need, and begging is just part of the make-up of daily life. You end up being overcome with guilt, because you simply cannot help everybody everyday who are constantly begging you on every corner and every turn you take for money, or food, or clothes, or anything else that might help them survive to see another day. And you become a bit allergic to asking for money yourself. I am sure fundraising for sponsorships come with much less baggage in a first world country where most everyone lives above the poverty line, so maybe in years to come we will get more comfortable at it. Continue reading →

by

Windrush Windfarm Adventure – a fun walk, run or ride event

The start of all the events. Cyclists getting ready.
The runners/walkers in the 2.7km event taking off. Great to see so many youngsters taking part.
The almost complete field of runners and one walker.
Shortly after the start, already the first bit of a climb.
Probably the steepest down and uphill on the course. It’s steeper than the photo suggests, trust me!
The finish area of the cycling tour some 100 metres from the Windrush start/finish.
Trying to get to grips to the size of one of the blades.
Gerry passing 3 massive turbine blades in storage.
Lovely blue skies and a cool breeze made for perfect running conditions.
Cattle and sheep roam the farm.
When not on farm roads, you follow the mowed grass.
Another fairly significant climb.
Gerry speeding by in a blur with the Manawatu Gorge and River below.
A unique view on the Manawatu Gorge.
Happiness is …
Back at the finish.

After our “long-run” the previous day (about 10km) we decided to partake in the inaugural Windrush event of approximately 6km the next day as a “shakedown” (a term used by friends for the recovery run the day-after a hard session). Not that we are even close to double-sessions, cool-down/recovery runs or any other such technical things. But it sounded fancy, so there you have it :-).

Continue reading →

by

Super Seven Series – Race 3

A relaxed crowd shortly before the start in front of the YMCA.
1795 registered for this event. Not far to go to reach the 2000 participant mark!
Beautiful blue skies for the third event.
Passing underneath the Manawatu River Bridge just before the turn-off for the 3km course.
The clearly marked and manned route. No getting lost.
One of two similar “hills” on the course – about 1.5m climb to get over the river bank.
Some welcome refreshment at the halfway mark.

Things were going well for the back-of-the-packers. We did our daily jog. Fitted in the long-runs on weekends. Entered for the Rotorua marathon which is happening on 2 May. And then life got in the way. Funny how this always happens the moment you commit to something big. Continue reading →

by

Super Seven Series 2014 – Race 1

We arrived early before the registration area gets too busy.
Wouna doing a lazy pre-run stretch. Or maybe she’s praying :-).
Announcements before the run.
Lots of eager legs ready for the start.
The masses at the starting line.
Running along the Bridle Track next to the Manawatu River.
Runners getting moral support from atop the Manawatu bridge.
The return leg, through the leafy suburb of Hokowhitu.
Thumbs up for another great event.
The sausage sizzle is a post-run highlight.
Gerry with post-run banana and sausage sizzle – another happy Manawatu Striders customer.

It’s summer in the Manawatu, and the Super Seven Series is under way. As reported in the local newspaper, the Manawatu Standard, “You know it is summer when the Striders Super Sevens starts up again.”

Tuesday evening we participated in the first of the 2014 series of runs (seven races of seven kilometres each) taking place on consecutive Tuesdays through January/February. And what an evening it turned out to be, with the rather foul weather of the previous few days making way for a lovely, balmy evening in Palmy. Which may in part explain why a whopping 1 659 people turned up. Continue reading →

by

It’s time for the Super Seven Series!

It’s January, and if you’re a runner in the Manawatu, that means one thing – it’s time for the Super Seven Series!

Starting a week from today, the Super Sevens consist of 7 weekly runs of 7kms each, run every Tuesday afternoon from 14 January to 25 February. By far the biggest race series in the region, between 1400 and 1500 people from Palmerston North and its neighbouring towns turn out every Tuesday for a run along the Manawatu river. While I’m sure there’s some serious racing going on at the front of the field, for the most part it’s a laid back, social event, with participants of every shape and size joining in on the fun.

Hundreds of people next to the Manawatu River on their way back to the finish.

Hundreds of people next to the Manawatu River on their way back to the finish.

Continue reading →