“I’ve run most of my life, the usual cross country and athletics at school, then several years in the army with mandatory fitness tests and PT sessions. However, I really discovered my passion about 5 years ago when my friend took me on a trail run in the Manawatu Gorge.
It (and she) kicked my a$$, but I was hooked. It was challenging in a different way – the hills, technical footing and views all took my mind off how far or fast I was running and gave the run a different focus. I love exploring and adventuring, and found trail running an awesome way to discover parts of our region and beyond that I would never have normally gone to.
Along the way, I realised that being in the ngahere, the bush, was the perfect way to destress, re-set and re-calibrate. Where I work I’m inside all day, functioning in a high stress, complex work environment, requiring communication and interaction on many levels so getting out for a run is essential to my well being.
Running has also allowed me to finally find my “tribe” – being a bit of an introvert this is something that took me a long time to do. I have met so many fabulous like minded people through running, many whom have become close friends. While I enjoy the solitude of the bush, running with mates is pretty darn great too!
Taking part in events is something that keeps me motivated too as I love the whole deal – the training journey, travelling, sharing the experience with friends, meeting new people, taking photos, the atmosphere, finish line beers (oh, and the run itself, haha)…I’ve just done Tarawera Ultra Marathon and I’ll be riding that high for weeks!
Last of all, I really love sharing my running and exploring experiences and hope to inspire others along the way to take that step and give things a crack.
Tūwhititia te hopo, mairangatia te angitu! – Feel the fear and do it anyway!”
Michelle @x_shell_r8n
Palmerston North
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Portraits of Runners + their stories
@RunnersNZ
