“Running when I was younger used to be mostly by necessity; school athletics, cross countries and in order to do the Weet-Bix Try-athlon… where I looked forward to the swim and bike! I’d never really been for much in the way of training runs, other than a couple of runs with Mum up the road beside the Lumsden farm. Instead I relied on a bit of base fitness and just having sore legs for a few days after.
After moving to Christchurch for Uni, mountain biking was the closest thing to my dirt-bike back home and I went from the farm near Lumsden to starting my adventures in the Port Hills. Eventually, I ended up cross-country mountain-bike racing for a couple of summers, then while looking for the next challenge, support crewed for a mate in Coast to Coast 2014. New goal and new hobby acquired!
A more sparse than recommended training plan meant that interim events like the Routeburn Classic and Queenstown Marathon were type-2 fun! Then after completing the C2C kayak grade 2 certificate course, a mate and I agreed this white-water kayaking stuff was more fun than multi-sport. Coast to Coast didn’t happen for me due to some ITB issues (see lack of training mentioned earlier), although I was fortunate to get roped in at the last minute to kayak for a 3 person team and I had a blast getting down the Waimakariri Gorge.
Coast to Coast out of the picture, the kayaking addiction was in full swing for around 5 years. Almost every weekend we’d load up and head for wherever the rain was. Kayaking took me to some stunning rivers and gorges, especially exploring many of the rivers on the West Coast… back when helicopters were still cheap and it cost $70pp for a days paddling.
Adventure, exercise and fresh air was always a big part of my life in the city, and amongst it all there was a trail of rogaines and corporate 5km type events to keep the dust off the running shoes. It all helped with a sense of purpose and sanity amongst the hustle and bustle of the big smoke, especially the daily runs I was doing through covid, needing an excuse to leave the house! These sports were central to the friends I made in Christchurch too, with catch-ups often involving some form of activity, usually followed by a pint or two.
In September 2024 I moved to Te Anau to go farming. It was a shock to the system going from an office of 400 people to working solo on the farm, and after a busy summer with lots of fencing and repairs, it was time to pull finger, get a bit fitter and meet some more locals with things in common (especially healthy hobbies!). It’s too easy with farming to get stuck into your day, and then you realise you get home at the end of the day having not seen or spoken to anyone. The Te Anau Run Club has been a great way to meet good sorts and has led to being in a Rogaine team and a 24hr Race team, two exciting things to look forward to!
To me running is a source of adventure, challenge, achievement, fitness and social time.
There’s a beauty in the lack of admin, cost, gear and faff involved – simply add shoes, and go run.”
Blair @glenmonarch.farm
(Te Anau)
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Portraits of Runners + their stories
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