Runner ready for NY marathon
Whether it’s on the Lions Walk or in New York, Erin Tolhurst loves running and chasing down her goals.
The Taupo resident is making final preparations to run in the New York Marathon on November 6.
Tolhurst said she had run seven marathons previously in cities like Rotorua and Auckland, as well as the Taupo Marathon.
‘‘Apparently the New York one is really entertaining and there are people lining the street the whole way,’’ she said.
Tolhurst works as a sales manager for Johnson & Johnson and manages sales representative across the North Island. However, the Lions Walk along Lake Taupo was her training ground.
Running was a great way to practice setting and achieving goals, she said.
‘‘I really enjoy having a goal – particularly a physical one – otherwise you can become unbalanced and complacent,’’ she said.
‘‘It helps me in my work, in that, when setting the goal you’ve got to set the process [to achieve the goal] as well.’’
Running helps Tolhurst keep a clear head too, she said.
‘‘I have quite a clear head after going for a run the day before or in the morning. I owe it to my team to have a clear head and it helps me do that.’’
She said the thrill of marathons was in the challenge of pushing yourself further.
’’Physically it’s very tough, but it’s also mentally tough. You go through a lot of thoughts when you’re running and you’ve got to just convince yourself to keep on going,’’ she said.
‘‘No matter how hard you’ve trained, it’s still really, really hard. Your body doesn’t want to run that far – it’s not natural. It’s a real mental challenge.’’
Tolhurst will be running her first overseas marathon for Team Catwalk, along with six other Kiwi runners. The team is raising funds for the CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust, which promotes and generates funding for research into a cure for spinal cord injury (SCI).
Tolhurst said her inspiration for running was to support the team captain, whose children were in a car accident.
‘‘One of them died, one walked away fine and one more suffered a spinal cord injury and is in a wheelchair.
‘‘He’s such a great captain for our team, so we’re so keen to do it and hopefully we can raise money and they’ll find a cure for his daughter.’’
bf* To support Erin’s run, visit teamcatwalk2016.gofundraise .co.nz/page/ErinTolhurst.