My health and fitness journey started many years ago at primary school, with sports playing a big roll in all my school years including tennis, cricket, rugby, basketball, hockey, cross country, and track and field. I  competed at national level on the track and hockey fields. Unfortunately sport took a hiatus when I joined the Army, and for a few years my fitness revolved around being fit for work. I did manage to get to a few more national tournaments but my career in leadership, training and warfighting took priority. The end of my career saw me in the education world and many visits to the Physical Training Instructor School kept me keen on learning about physical fitness, Human Biomechanics and physical and mental endurance. My career as a military leader also helped focus me on the need to be fit and train my personnel to be ready for operations both physically and mentally. Upon retiring from the NZDF, although active in sports and recreation, my energy to remain fit beyond what I required for my work in my agricultural business drifted. 

When I decided to start running again I had to relearn a number of things to get me moving again. I dug back into the text books and re-fired my education brain as I brought myself back to front of the midpack fitness. The Bike, Gym and running being my platforms and many hours in the mountains. Running became my main medium as I struck running milestones off from trail half marathons, Longer trail races and ultra’s. As a self trained athlete I honed my methods and dug deep into the data. I made mistakes, reset and tried again. Three months out from my first Miler attempt I contacted CMF and had some guidance from Char and realized that no matter how good my knowledge was I needed a coach (coaches hold you to account and stop you doing to much - and too little. Post this experience I took up coaching and found great joy and satisfaction in passing my knowledge and experience on to new and old runners. Being fit is only part of the equation, nutrition, goal setting, mental and physical endurance make an athlete. A strong mind needs cultivation and it needs peace. I am an avid reader and life long learner, I learn from my athletes and endeavor to grow with them. I am goal focused and believe that without a goal we drift, we lack drive and motivation.

My life revolves around running, fitness and community. I am an Event Director at Park run, run a local run club, write on running community issues, assist in planning and running local events, and work part time in a running specialist store in Hawkes bay. My wife is an age group Triathlete at world national level so between us log 25-30 hours of training a week and this dominates our experience. My focus Event this year is a return to The Revenant (Jan 25), with build up being Kings Backyard (25 Yards completed), and Blue Lakes 24 with a goal of 186+ km.