“I grew up in Featherston, a real shit-hole 25 years ago, and with my Mum unable to work due to chronic depression and Dad on minimum wage – it meant playing sports wasn’t a priority. Putting food on the table and putting a roof over mine and my three brothers heads was, and any sport that involved fees, gear, or equipment wasn’t even considered. So, running it was!
Running was the one sport that didn’t discriminate against socioeconomic status. All you needed was the desire to win and determination to never give up. It’s that simple really.
I was a good runner at High School and I would always take out numerous wins in athletics and cross-country, but it wasn’t something that I would specifically train for – maybe a few weeks out I would run around the block a couple of times a week. There wasn’t any huge emphasis on track and field at High School, apart from the athletics and cross-country day. And once the High School days were over, that was it with the running really.
I didn’t consider taking up running again until the age of 31, after the birth of my third son, to get my body back and to just see if maybe that girl at High School had any real potential or ability. I started running again and 2 years have passed since. In that time I have had some great success and am super excited about my running future…”
Debbie @_debbie_nz_
(South Wairarapa)
–
Portraits of Runners + their stories
@RunnersNZ
