“When I was at school I didn’t enjoy running at all. I dreaded every day that we would have to go out running or had to compete (or in my case complete) the cross country. I was always the little fat kid who was at the back coming last.
When I left school and went to university I worked in a shoe store part time. My manager was a runner and would go out 3 times a week. He asked me to join him and his friends one night and after a couple of weeks I was hooked and loved the feeling that running gave me.
For the next 20 years I continued running off and on until I was about to become a father for the first time. I had gained 20 kilograms, so the time had come to get back into shape and lose it. I was away on holiday in London with friends at the time and would wake up every morning and run around Hyde Park. When I returned home to NZ the running continued. I would run the 12kms home from work 4 times a week and slowly the weight was coming off. My times were getting faster and I was enjoying running again.
For YEARS I’d aspired to complete a Marathon. Last year I achieved that goal with my friend/running buddy Aimee. We achieved our first marathon in the Hawkes Bay together and are both currently training for the Queenstown Marathon in November this year.
I enjoy the running community within the Taranaki region, the diverse locations that this place has to offer, the company and companionship, and the lifelong friends that I have found through running.”
Nick @bullster29
(New Plymouth)
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Portraits of Runners + their stories
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