“I remember being able to run for 30 seconds. I really wanted to keep going. I’d run. Walk. Run a little more. My lungs would burn as would my legs. I ran in the dark at night, solo. Running was not something that came easily. My head would get in the way of me getting out the door.
Once I did though, sometimes I felt like I could fly. Things were clearer afterwards and I was calmer. It was a kind thing to do for myself when I was consumed by study. I kept returning to it and I have run now for a long time, both for the physical and mental wellbeing.
I say that running has taken me places I would never have otherwise been. Literally. On city bridges, high hilltops, before-dawn streets, global trails and Great Walks. And metaphorically. To accomplish something in one corner of your life can spill over into other things. A sense of possibility. A quiet confidence. Strength. Kindness.
I ran my first half marathon and my first marathon 6 days apart. I did 30 half marathons in my thirtieth year. I ran my first ultra in a cyclone. I’ve run every day for a while. This year I ran 100k; celebrated, ate, napped, and returned to keep running people in on the finish, including 2 hours with my beautiful husband. But it’s not just about the bright lights. It’s remembering why. Because all of this is with people, not alone. It was to begin with. Now running is a collective. I’m on a team. I count myself so darn fortunate to be in others lives, and to have been part of their stories.
Running taught me. It’s made introductions. It’s illuminated things. Empathy. Fear. Courage. Resilience. Failure. Possibility. Commitment. Love. Believing. It sends life into technicolour. I see a brighter, richer, more connected world when I see what people can do and the stories it makes possible when we dare. Running got me started. It’s the other things that set alight my love for it.”
Emma @runemmabassett
(Wellington)
–
Portraits of Runners + their stories
@RunnersNZ
