“I used to hate running, for me it was a chore that I thought I needed to do to be fit, so I’d always do it on and off. A few years ago I joined F45 and after injuring my shoulder I went for a few runs to keep my fitness up – but was still adamant I wasn’t a runner. Then a co-worker convinced me to go along to the Xterra race at Red Rocks that she was doing, which intrigued me. I’d always loved the trails, taking my dog for a walk around tunnel gulley in Upper Hutt was one of my favourite things, but I’d never dreamed of running them.
Once I did Xterra Wellington I fell in love with trail running; never in my life had I realised the capabilities of distance and heights trail runners could reach, and I was hooked.
In the past the forest was a magical place where I could go to get away and connect with nature. Running reconnected me with that and I found a place where I belong. And as I got to know new people at races, or just people I met out and about, I realised how this is more than just a sport. It’s a community where everyone helps each other and cheers you on with whatever goal you want to achieve. No run is too small or too big, everyones just there to do what they love, run and explore the beauty that nature has to offer. Now trail running events have given me an opportunity to explore this country in a way that I never thought possible.
So that’s what keeps me running, the opportunity to explore new places, the events that bring people from far and wide to explore the carefully selected spots that are some of the most beautiful and scenic places you’ll go, the raw energy you can only find from being in nature, and of course the people!”
Jasmine @jasminenadia44
(Wellington)
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All Runners. All Stories.
@RunnersNZ
