“Since the days where I began to walk I have always loved the outdoors and exploring, just ask my Mum. She would often wonder where on earth I had been all day and why I was so dirty! I struggled to sit still and a lot of people thought it was out of the ordinary in the way I behaved but it was simply because I wanted to be moving and busy. As I was growing up I tried my hand at pretty much every sport that was available to me, Soccer, Tennis, Softball, Rugby, Squash, Golf to name a few, all of which I was okay at but never awesome. I soon fell in love with the game of Rugby where I continued to play right up until I was 40 years old, when I finally decided to hang up the boots because I’ll be honest, my old frame couldn’t handle the physicality. It was hard to give it up but I needed to if I wanted to carry on life without a Zimmer Frame.
When I started thinking about stepping away from the game I loved, I thought I’m going to sign up for a running race, the Queenstown 10km. At the time this was going to be a mountain to climb for me as I had previously never ran that far, but what kept me motivated and my nerves under control, was I now made this an opportunity to raise some funds for the all-important Mental Health Foundation. Standing on the start line with 10kms to run in 2019 filled me with all sorts of feelings, from happiness to nerves to self-doubt, but the one I thing I took from that race was running is about community and that it’s me vs me. Since that race in 2019 I have achieved so many personal goals that I would never have even remotely thought I’d ever be capable of. I’ve completed so many races, a range of distances and in a number of different countries, and I absolutely love it!
I have set myself a mammoth goal in 2024, the Faultline Ultra Miler, which is keeping me motivated to train and stay focused. Trail Running has made me realise that if I want to achieve a goal, I absolutely can with a bit of discipline, sticking to the programme and looking after my body. I mean it’s “one foot in front of the other”, how hard can it be right!”
Aaron @az.campbel
(Christchurch)
Photo taken at the Kepler Challenge
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Portraits of Runners + their stories
@RunnersNZ
