North Shore Times (New Zealand)
Run training requires marathon effort
Catherine Green is running the New York Marathon for those who can’t.
The Takapuna resident will be running the marathon on November 6 alongside six other Kiwis to raise money for the The CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Research Trust.
The trust was formed to support researchers looking for a cure for spinal cord injury, and Green personally wants to raise $5000 for the cause.
She says the road to the race hasn’t been easy, as she came down with glandular fever after signing up for the marathon.
Since then, she says she’s had just about every kind of cold or fever and it has been hard to train because of it.
Green says, while training hasn’t gone to plan, what she has to overcome is nothing compared with the challenges faced by those with spinal cord injuries.
‘‘It’s been such a juggling act for me because I’ve been so unwell myself. If I wasn’t running for charity, I’d probably pull out,’’ Green says. ‘‘What I have to go through to run it is so much less than what they go through.’’
The executive director says she has wanted to run the New York Marathon for a while now and it will be her second full marathon.
A school friend suggested she run as part of Team CatWalk.
‘‘I thought what a good opportunity to run the New York Marathon which I’ve wanted to do for a long time, but also support a charity,’’ she says.
‘‘It’s such an amazing group of people that do something that’s so important but it’s not one of the most obvious charities.’’
Green is part of a team led by David Pretorius whose daughter was left paralysed from the waist by a car accident in 2010.
The CatWalk Trust was founded by former international equestrian rider Catriona Williams, who was confined to a wheelchair by a riding accident.
According to ACC, around 130 to 180 people a year are diagnosed with a spinal cord injury.
Green says she is nervous about the run, but running as part of a group has kept her motivated.
‘‘If I cross that finish line, after going through this, it’s going to be amazing. It’s going to be the best finish line,’’ she says.
Go to CatWalk to donate or learn about team members, such as Olympic rower Rebecca Scown.