On Saturday 10th April 2021 at 10am, I completed a 24 hour run. My body was absolutely NOT in the condition to complete this challenge and most definitely my mind pulled me through. I was in a severe amount of pain after just a few hours and it continued throughout. One of the major lessons I've learned over the last few years is that your mind is capable of so much more than you think, and this can push your body to overcome so much.
I set myself a challenge to run laps around Hagley Park in Christchurch for a full day to raise much needed funds for Youthline. In the corner of the park we had an aid station where people could come to find information about what was going on. I had an incredible team of people come along and support me. Apart from a few laps at the beginning of the day, I had people run, cycle and scoot with me the whole entire time.
At the beginning, I was trying my best to hold back the pace. My body was feeling fresh and it wanted to go faster than I knew was sensible. I believe I held back enough in the end as the first 12 hours were a pretty similar pace. This was my first time ever attempting to run for 24 hours so I was learning as I was going along. The first half I managed to eat a little every time I completed a lap which was great for keeping my energy up.
After 12 hours this changed and I felt so nauseous that I couldn't eat anything. In any normal circumstance it wouldn't really matter but I knew I needed energy going in to maintain running for so long. I tried so many types of food and drink to get energy in but nothing worked until about two hours from the end.
Pretty much the whole entire run my feet and my knees were in agony. After completing the run and getting home I saw the state of my feet and it was no surprise that I'd been in so much pain. Each of my big toe nails was floating on top of a huge blister. I had bumps and bruises everywhere and both of my legs from the knee down were swollen.
In the 24 hours of running I covered 183.33km. I didn't set out with an expectation of how much I wanted to run. My only goal was to stay awake and keep moving through the night.
Most of the time I ran full laps around the park. Each full lap is 5.8km. When I was struggling with darkness in the middle of the night I switched to the smaller laps for a while. These were 3.7km each. I'm really not sure which was better. After multiple hours of running it's all painful whatever you do!
After 12 hours this changed and I felt so nauseous that I couldn't eat anything. In any normal circumstance it wouldn't really matter but I knew I needed energy going in to maintain running for so long. I tried so many types of food and drink to get energy in but nothing worked until about two hours from the end.
Pretty much the whole entire run my feet and my knees were in agony. After completing the run and getting home I saw the state of my feet and it was no surprise that I'd been in so much pain. Each of my big toe nails was floating on top of a huge blister. I had bumps and bruises everywhere and both of my legs from the knee down were swollen.
In the 24 hours of running I covered 183.33km. I didn't set out with an expectation of how much I wanted to run. My only goal was to stay awake and keep moving through the night.
Most of the time I ran full laps around the park. Each full lap is 5.8km. When I was struggling with darkness in the middle of the night I switched to the smaller laps for a while. These were 3.7km each. I'm really not sure which was better. After multiple hours of running it's all painful whatever you do!
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WHY
After seeing Youthline on the news recently I felt I had to do something. Youthline has been inundated with calls from struggling young people since lockdown last year. Mental health is so important and shouldn’t be overlooked.
After struggling with my own mental health in the last few years I know how hard it is to reach out for help. Having an organisation that you can call or contact online is hugely important for young people today.
I've set up this fundraiser to help make a difference for young people who are struggling with their mental health. Every year, thousands of young New Zealanders will reach out to Youthline for support during some of the toughest moments of their lives. I want to raise awareness and much-needed funds to help young people know they are not alone. Please make a donation today to help support me on this journey!
The fundraising page will remain open for a while so you are not too late to donate!
After seeing Youthline on the news recently I felt I had to do something. Youthline has been inundated with calls from struggling young people since lockdown last year. Mental health is so important and shouldn’t be overlooked.
After struggling with my own mental health in the last few years I know how hard it is to reach out for help. Having an organisation that you can call or contact online is hugely important for young people today.
I've set up this fundraiser to help make a difference for young people who are struggling with their mental health. Every year, thousands of young New Zealanders will reach out to Youthline for support during some of the toughest moments of their lives. I want to raise awareness and much-needed funds to help young people know they are not alone. Please make a donation today to help support me on this journey!
The fundraising page will remain open for a while so you are not too late to donate!
Please enjoy some photos from the day...
If you can donate anything at all please please please do. Every little helps.
$10 gives one young person much needed support
$30 allows Youthline to respond to 120 texts (they get 617 per day)
$50 keeps their phone, text and email service operating for one hour
$10 gives one young person much needed support
$30 allows Youthline to respond to 120 texts (they get 617 per day)
$50 keeps their phone, text and email service operating for one hour