“I started running to replace an addiction to smoking. I set a goal to run a famous half in Cape Town, the Two Oceans Marathon – which was a lot of fun. But I soon realised that running up Table Mountain was even more fun, so I swapped over to Trail Running, with the famed Lions Head in my backyard.
Now I have a love for finding new trails and adventure, which held me in good stead when I moved over to Wellington NZ last year. I can use this love to explore my new home and make a whole bunch of new friends. And it spawned my second hobby – filming some of these trails as Vlogs and sharing them on my YouTube channel. I bought a Gopro and I literally take it everywhere, videoing my running adventures and the people I share the trails with.
Sometimes with running something crops up which poses a serious challenge, one you can’t refuse… and currently that’s the Valley Ultra. UltraNZ have kindly made me the Wellington ambassador for it too. I am loving the goal of training for my first 58km Ultra and then going a bit further for the Coastal Ultra of 77km next year.
Running for me is a fun release, it’s pushing limits and getting to the top of the highest thing nearby. Which is often where I find myself closest to God.”
Ryan @ryry.explores
(Wellington)
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Portraits of Runners + their stories
@RunnersNZ
