Nz Herald takes a trip from New York city to Long Island after partying it up in the big apple. Video / NZ Herald
If you had spent November 5 in Central Park, you would have seen 51,402 exhausted but elated runners cross the finish line of the 2023 New York City Marathon.
You would have seen Rosie Hay and Douglas Chee cross the line too. Like other runners, they were sweaty, sore and thrilled to have completed a goal they had trained almost a year for. Unlike other runners, they had an additional challenge to overcome; 75-year-old Chee was legally blind.
So, for the last nine months, Hay collected Chee from his retirement home in Christchurch every week for training runs, which went up to 31km.
“I could definitely see the hustle Doug had to put in for the extra kilometres but he showed tenacity and got the job done with pride and a smile on his face,’ she told Herald a week after completing the race.
Rosie Hay, Douglas Chee and a fellow Achilles guide at the finish line of the New York Marathon in 2023.
Marathon training isn’t for the fainthearted, especially when you are an Air NZ flight attendant who flies around Aotearoa and single-parent to two sons. Add guiding someone into the mix and it’s a major commitment.
Fortunately, it’s something 40-year-old Hay is familiar with; New York was her 18th marathon and third time fully guiding as part of Achilles athletes.
“I have had my own hard times in life and running has kept me grounded and been an incredible therapy,” she said. “If I can help support someone else achieving that ‘feel good’ then it’s easy, I will.”
During races, Hay said Achilles Athletes’ bright yellow shirts and smiling faces always inspired her, so she eventually volunteered to be a guide.
When the opportunity to run a marathon with Douge arose, she “jumped at the chance”.
Chee is no stranger to running either, having completed 60 half marathons. However, the New York Marathon, with its 42km distance and travel to get there, which Air New Zealand covered, was a much larger challenge that required a lot of training with his “guardian angel”, Hay.
It was during these runs that the pair developed a firm friendship, Hay said.
“We met through Achilles and spending so much time together running and training means we got to know each other very well,” she said, adding that they share light banter and sincere secrets.
“There is a lot of trust involved with a visually impaired athlete and guide so you do form a strong bond.”
A bond so strong the pair got matching tattoos of the marathon symbol while in New York, to forever mark their incredible journey.
Rosie Hay and Douglas Chee with their matching tattoos of the marathon icon in New York.
Hay also had time to take in the sights of New York for seven nights and was excited to visit ground zero and the Guggenheim, do some shopping and catch a Nicks baseball game with Chee and his wife Trish at Madison Square Gardens.
As for the future, Hay said she’s excited to participate in the upcoming Buller Gorge Marathon and plan her next marathon.
" I will definitely be doing more. I’ll be available to other athletes to train and guide for future races and I can’t wait.”
