“I grew up with two older sisters 2 and 3 years older than me, so as with all things, running quickly manifested as a highly competitive area, and for myself an arena to beat my then bigger, stronger and faster sisters. That eventually happened at some point in primary school athletics.
The classic Southland cross country’s were the highlight of my year, however after moving to boarding school in year 6 the flat Canterbury plains did not suit me so much and running became replaced by biking. For a good 6 years this was my competitive sport, but as a big believer in cross training, running never quite disappeared and remained a bit of an escape – no matter how bad a day is, a run always makes it a little better.
3 years ago I raced my first rogaine and then shortly after, when I did the longest waterfall (fear society race aka Fiordland Endurance & Adventure Racing), I began to run more frequently. Mostly in order to train for adventure racing, my primary sport at the minute, as part of FEAR Youth. My continued running has certainly made the dive into adventure racing a wee bit smoother and whilst 3 years ago I thought GODZONE was the stupidest idea anyone could ever have… I will be lining up on the start line in 2023 for the team’s 2nd Godzone in Fiordland.
I still wouldn’t call myself a runner. I certainly don’t follow any form of a training plan or god forbid nutrition plan. I just run when I feel like it, and it makes me feel good (sometimes), be that during the COVID lockdowns or during my first year at university battling the dreaded health sciences for entry into medicine.Recently I was coerced by one of my teammates Dean Stewart to give a backyard ultra a crack. So with very minimal training (due to the panic training, uni and taper all overlapping) we travelled up to Christchurch to give the Krayzie Kapers Midwinter Backyard Ultra a go. As the first running race I can remember since primary school, it was certainly something a bit different. I was happy enough to clock up 16 laps (107km) but I definitely have some unfinished business with this ultra running stuff…”
Josiah @murphy.josiah
(Te Anau)
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Portraits of Runners + their stories
@RunnersNZ
