“At school I was a track and road runner, but after joining Life in Motion doing HIIT and talking to other members about their running adventures, it inspired me to join the Life in Motion Run Club. From there I was introduced to trail running and have never looked back!
I am currently training for the Tarawera Ultra 50km, which I am terrified about! I have had some injuries to overcome, which has been frustrating and has made me question whether this running business is for me… but after watching some inspiring YouTube videos of people’s Ultra journeys, it sorted the self-doubt out and made me remember why I love running in the first place. After hearing people’s stories of running an Ultra, it got me thinking about seeing how far I could push myself when the going gets tough, and how I could create exciting memories that I can be proud of.
I chose the Tarawera Ultra as my dad passed away suddenly when I was 10 of a brain haemorrhage. He collapsed mid-sentence while talking to my sister and I. It was on Waitangi day, the weekend Tarawera is usually held. I am a bit sick of reliving all this in my mind like it was yesterday, so I thought about making new cool memories around this time. Rotorua is the only holiday I remember us all going on as a family, so thought that worked quite nicely as well.
So, in a few weeks’ time I am going to line up on the Tarawera start line, scared, with a pic of my dad attached to my vest, ready to try my absolute best to make it over the finish line before everyone goes home, and create an awesome memory for myself, and make my dad and my family proud. Because running soothes the soul, and 50kms of it should soothe it good.”
Erin @erinmckenzie08
(Wellington)
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All Runners. All Stories.
@RunnersNZ
