Stars run for cause
New Zealand soap star Ria Vandervis knows running her first half marathon in years will be a bittersweet affair.
The actress will be swapping her Shortland Street stethoscope for running shoes in a bid to help beat bowel cancer by raising vital funds.
And the personal crusade will being back some painful memories for the television personality who revealed she lost a good friend to the disease last year.
Vandervis plays emergency doctor Harper Whitley on the longrunning TV2 hospital drama .
The 33-year old has signed up for the12th Saint Clair Vineyard Half Marathon on May 12.
The straight-talking actress says she hopes that by hitting the ground running she can help raise awareness of the disease which claims more than 1200 lives a year.
‘‘One of my best friend’s mother, who I was also very close with, sadly passed away from the disease last year, which was deeply affecting.
‘‘I have also had other family members and friends who have been taken or scared by it.
‘‘Bowel cancer takes too many lives in this country and so hopefully every dollar we raise will go towards screening so it can be detected earlier and lives saved. Seventy-five per cent of bowel cancers can be cured if they are detected early enough,’’ she says.
Vandervis will join former Shortland Street co-star Amelia Reid-Meredith, who played flighty receptionist Bella Durville, at the marathon.
New Zealand has one of the highest bowel cancer rates in the world with more than 3000 people diagnosed every year.
Vandervis, who also works as a marriage celebrant in Auckland and runs an online printed apparel and promo store, says she ‘‘jumped at the chance to help.’’
‘‘I am always up for a challenge and supporting a good cause, and when a dear friend of mine suggested we run the Saint Clair Half Marathon and raise money for Bowel Cancer NZ, I jumped at the chance.
‘‘I love the top of the South Island, so getting the chance to run such a scenic event really appealed to me.
‘‘The thing I love about running, when I have been training for a while and the panting has subsided, is that it becomes a meditation.
I love to use it to clear my head, so I focus on my surroundings, the beauty of nature, or just use it as time to have a really good think. It is total me time.
‘‘There is also a gym down the road from the studios which has treadmills and an athletics track, so I have no excuse,’’ she says.
The Saint Clair Vineyard Half Marathon has raised about $150,000 for Bowel Cancer New Zealand (BCNZ) over the last five years.
But more entrants are desperately needed to help raise funds for BCNZ.
Race organiser Anna Polson says they hope to have 150 runners take part specifically raising funds for the non-government funded charity.
There are still 40 spaces to fill she says.
‘‘The entrants are always so positive and motivated — even though many of them are there with their own sad stories and to remember loved family members, they still seem to have such a great time.
For further information and to enter visit www.vineyardhalf.com or vineyardhalf.com/eventinformation/beat-bowel-cancer/