Ferg's First Half Marathon

This year I set the goal of raising $5000 for charity alongside a few different personal goals for example, running my first half marathon, hiking a 200km trail, going paragliding and getting involved with volunteering programs.

The opportunity to run the Southern Lakes Half Marathon\10km was presented by the company I work for, M.R. Decorating who offered to pay for their employees entrance fees. How could I say no? To date the furthest I've ran is 17km which was only a couple of days ago. The start of this year I have been recovering from a sprained ankle which meant no running or hiking for a month. I'm stoked to get training and take the opportunity to push myself and try to raise some money for a great cause.

The charity I've chosen is a New Zealand based charity called Big Buddy. They pair volunteer 'big buddies' who have been vetted, trained (by the charity) and specifically paired to boys without a father/positive male role model, who spend 2 to 4 hours a week with their 'little buddy.' The simple philosophy is that a boy will benefit greatly from having a positive male role model in their life, to help them find new passions/hobbies, having somebody to talk to and inspire them, with the aim to help build self confidence and improve their quality of life. Although they are a relatively small charity they make a huge impact on lots of young boys lives across New Zealand.