“I grew up swimming competitively. When other life commitments got the best of me, running became a natural transition, providing an outlet to re-ignite my competitive drive. It became a solo pursuit, an everyday habit to push myself mentally and physically. However, running sometimes felt lonely and became monotonous and demotivating with constant comparison.
For studies and work purposes, I moved to different countries and running, in particular, became a great way to explore different places and connected me to a community. Running largely became a social pursuit for me, where running friends have turned into lifelong friends. Running in a group taught me the essence of embracing the achievements of fellow friends and celebrating their successes rather than comparing.
When I decided to walk the entire length of New Zealand on the Te Araroa trail, despite all the uncertainties and questions, I felt good about the walk. I was able to bring in different elements of running into my walk, such as setting healthy expectations, listening to my body, knowing when to push for long days and embracing the walking community, which has helped me to get all the way from Cape Reinga to Bluff over 3400 km in four months.”
Tsewang @tsewang.sherpa
(Te Araroa trail)
–
Portraits of Runners + their stories
@runnersnz
