Getting Northlanders off the couch and pounding the streets has never been so satisfying for Sport Northland's administrators with their Run/Walk Series claiming a national award this week. The six-event series that attracted close to 7000 participants, ranging from casual walkers to competitive runners, won the New Zealand Recreation Association OutstandingEvent Award for 2008. Sport Northland's Brent Markwick said the award was a pat on the back for a series that had exceeded expectations. "As a regional sports trust we're a little different to other trusts around the country in that we run an extensive events programme. We believe we run great events and this is a good pat on the back for us really," he said. Sport Northland designed the series to encourage people to get fit and then stay active. "The series is unique in that we try and link it to our mission in getting Northlanders as active as possible and we've provided six events all around the region with the idea of starting with 5km in the first event and finishing with the Kerikeri Half Marathon," Markwick said. The NZRA judges were impressed with the high level of community involvement spokesperson Kirsten Malpas said. "Sport Northland have done a great job managing the series, the behind-the-scenes administration and series promotion is excellent," she said. "The events are run all over Northland to ensure as many people as possible have an opportunity to participate and to keep things streamlined and easy for participants." Sport Northland's award was presented at a gala dinner in Christchurch, where recreation professionals from more than 15 countries are attending an Asia-Pacific congress.
