Road Runners and the Selwyn Sports Trust Saved my Life!
Participating in Selwyn Sports Trust - Tour of Selwyn
Leeston, Canterbury
I started my running journey with the Ellesmere Road Runners back in 2011.
I started by running and walking a power pole. I remember having the Selwyn Sports Trust Selwyn Running Festival as a goal, which motivated me! I started with the 3km loop and then progressed to the 6km loop after a few months. Then, I decided to try and run a half marathon, which was hard, but I did it, which gave me confidence.
Then, with the support of Emma and Mike Wilson from the Selwyn Sports Trust, I started doing road cycling and duathlons, which gave me the confidence to try a triathlon and then a Half Ironman.
The most fantastic thing for me is that it only takes a little effort to get going; you need to keep going and make it a habit, and then you are away. Honestly, from where I was when I started from a health perspective to where I am now, the Road Runners and the Selwyn Sports Trust saved my life.
Now, as Deputy Principal at West Melton School, I see all the awesome work the trust does with our tamariki, and I want to support and give back to the Selwyn Sports Trust.
Latest update
We Did It! 9 November 2024
What a great day to ride yesterday. We started at Sheffield in extreme NW conditions; going 37 km/h felt like cheating with hardly any peddling! The wind dropped, and we had a few headwind battles on our way to Weedons School. The highlight of the first 75 km leg for the team was passing West Melton School and seeing all the ākonga and staff out cheering us on. Several of the team had a wee tear in their eye, including me!
Weedons School looked at us at lunch, made sure we could restock the fluid and freshened ourselves up. All the students cheered us as we left. We were about one hour ahead of time.
Some of our riders left, and we picked up a few more for the second leg.
The second leg went smoothly, and the bunch worked well together all day. There were a few more headwind sections in the second leg, but everything went smoothly overall. Springston School and Leeston made us feel like superstars as we passed them, with Leeston even doing a haka.
We stopped briefly at Challenge Leeston to refresh before proceeding to the last part, back to Tai Tapu.
Our safety support crew, which included Warwick and Kirsty (Tuffnell Drainage ), Jo (my very understanding wife), Mitch, Emma, and Sally (Selwyn Sports Trust), made us feel very protected as a group on some busy roads.
Thank you to all those who helped me hit my fundraising target.
The Tour of Selwyn was the most memorable event I have had for several years!
Activity tracking
Participating in
A charity bike ride across the length of Selwyn to raise funds for the Selwyn Sports Trust Activator Programme!
Latest donations
Cheers, very much appreciated, really enjoyed the ride.
Thank you Kim, what a great day it was!
Thank you very much Carey-Anne, very cool!
Thanks very much Sandy, riding with you all in the weekend has certainly got me ready for tomorrow.
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