What completing this did was give me an even greater appreciation of Whanganui and the human body. All shapes and all sizes, all with major determination to finish what they had set out to do. It was amazing to be part of it. Congratulations isn’t a platitude that gives measure to the organisers, sponsors and all of the incredible supporters and encouragers along the way.
Even now, writing this, I feel emotional. I didn’t achieve the time I wanted, but I finished in three hours and six minutes. My sister beat me by 20 minutes and picked me up when my knees got wobbly at the finish line. Without her, I would have collapsed. But I did it.
Every single person who ran or walked had their own reasons for doing so and, as well as cementing our family bond, it gave me hope the human spirit is indomitable.
Watching the news presently and the state of the financial pressure that everyone is under causes me great angst, but on Sunday morning I felt nothing but hope. That is rare but, as I walked and watched, I felt so happy I was doing something that made a difference. To me. I felt very proud of myself and my brother and sister.
My greatest sadness was that I was told my daughter would be at the finish line and she wasn’t. She had come up from Wellington and I really wanted her hug. I wanted her to be proud of me. She didn’t care. To be honest, that was what had kept me going through the race. As I crossed the finish line, I said, “Where is Maggie?” Not there, was the short answer. I cried.
Is our familial relationship perfect? No. But I think the reason I felt so good was that, despite any family foibles, at the end of the day, family counted.
I didn’t know I would collapse at the finish line but my sister ran over to pick me up. She saw I was struggling, and I love her so much for that. My parents were all around the course supporting us. It was just perfect.
My 53-year-old body has taken a few days to come right. Being the incredibly attractive beast that I am, I have a massive bunion on my right big toe (TMI, I know), so I had to tape all my toes so they didn’t bleed. Unfortunately, I missed my little toe, so that’s still recovering.
My gratitude for Whanganui is the most poignant feeling I have. I love this city. Being able to walk around our awa is something I consider a privilege. I do it daily and without it, I feel like something isn’t right in my day. I never take it for granted. Having to walk 21km was taking it a little too far, but there was no way I was not going to do it. I had to. I said I would.
People have roles in families. My three siblings were all physical superstars. I was the also-ran. But I have other skill sets. But when it counted, we all hung together. Our other brother was there at the finish line clapping for us all.
What this event taught me is that at the end of the day, your family means everything. If you fall, they pick you up (literally). I have decided to pull my head in and forgive any past failings. I’m sure as hell not perfect, so I don’t have a leg to stand on – certainly not my right one at the moment.
I just want to express my thanks to everyone involved in this event. The army cadets who handed out drinks. The positive supporters along the way and all of the friends who I caught up with briefly as they passed me. I’m so happy I can now say: “I’ve done it.”
I’m not too sure if I’ll catch the event bug, but what I can say is it’s great to have a goal.
