“I ran in high school but I was pretty mediocre, although I always did the work which helped me hold up the points for the 3 and 6 man cross country teams. My coach Karen was always encouraging and said if we did the training we could be part of the team; so that’s what I did. And I loved it!
When I finished school I continued to run for my fitness, which I enjoyed, but I only stuck to running 5-10km. Then in 2012 when my mum was really struggling with her mental health, I caught her trying to take her own life. As an escape from the anxiousness this caused, I started to run further and further, eventually signing up for my first half marathon… 5 half marathons later, I decided to do a full marathon (42.2km).
Running has changed my life. It has helped me with coping mechanisms and is obviously massively important to my health and well-being. It’s now 7 years since my first half marathon and I have run 27 half marathons, 11 marathons and 2 ultra marathons…. plus I am currently sharing this from 30,000 feet en-route to the New York City Marathon.
Running has definitely changed my life and I honestly don’t know where I would be without it.”
Natalie @nat_cat_run
(Taranaki)
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Portraits of runners + their stories
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