“I have distant memories of doing a couple of block runs as a school boy to try and get fit for rugby, but that was about it. I shied away from school athletics and didn’t really pick up running until my mid 20’s. Initially it was very hard as I weighed between 90-100kg and had no aerobic fitness whatsoever. I had met a couple of people at my local gym that were into running and somehow found myself training for my first 10k. I remember doing a 2k block run and being absolutely ruined (I later learned the art of pacing). I then went on to do a half marathon which at the time was the hardest thing had ever done – the last 5km felt like someone was stabbing my thighs with every step that I took (that might have been the lack of training that contributed to this, I think I did 2 x 8k runs). Somehow through all the pain, I had found the bug for running, and then also found triathlon… Ironman Triathlon, again through someone I met at the gym. My endurance sports journey had begun. I think it was the lure of doing something that seemed impossible that intrigued me. I had never considered myself a runner, or a triathlete for that matter.
As my running and triathlon journey went on, I achieved things I never thought possible. I found it helped me in so many ways. My self-confidence grew, aerobic fitness increased, the feeling of achieving a goal became a real and regular feeling, more positive people came into my life, and my mindset really started to change. Running became a means of personal development for me. I loved it so much I decided to pursue a career as a coach and trainer, for not only runners but also triathletes and people of all fitness levels. I got to share in those special achievements again and again, which pretty much set me up to keep running forever, as leading by example was ingrained in me and inspiration was all around.
I am now 40 years old, married with two amazing boys, the best wife and our puppy Oreo! I have a successful training and coaching business and have been operating for over 14 years, I just love it!
One of the great things about running and endurance sport is you keep learning. I find science fascinating and admit I’m a bit of a geek with tech and data. One of my goals is to keep improving in endurance sports for as long as I can. To date I have achieved that with PBs over all running distances, triathlon 70.3 and Ironman. And what really keeps me going and excited about helping other people is the Finish Line, a concept I came up with early on, that still resonates today. “Find Your Finish Line” became a mantra, a way for people (myself included) to aim for that thing, that challenge, that feeling, that moment when you do something you never thought you could do. I have crossed many finish lines to date and plan to cross many more, and also help people find theirs. Remember it’s the journey to the finish line that’s the special part.”
Nathan @nathmartin_ @change_fitness_nz
(Lower Hutt)
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Portraits of Runners + their stories
@RunnersNZ
