Run to Remember returns

Cantabrians have just over two months to prepare for the annual runwalk to remember those lost in the 2011 earthquake.

Cantabrians are urged to start training for a 10k run-walk held in the Port Hills in February to remember those who lost their lives in the 2011 earthquake.

Entrants have just over two months to prepare for the annual event, where runners and walkers of all ages and abilities follow a course along the Port Hills from Victoria to Hansen Park.

The track shoelaces around Bowenvale and Mount Vernon parks and features views over Christchurch, across the Canterbury Plains to the Southern Alps.

Sport Canterbury chief executive Julyan Falloon said the route offered an opportunity to remember and reflect on those affected by the earthquakes. ‘‘We’ve all been impacted in different ways. There is no other experience where you take time to look over the city and reflect.’’

‘‘I still talk to people every day who are struggling with insurance and claims so the lasting effect is very present,’’ said Falloon.

‘‘As you run over the hill on a nice summer day you can see Lancaster Park and the stands coming down, and the changing landscape of the city ... it’s powerful.’’ The Press has agreed to sponsor the event for the first time in 2019. Editor Kamala Hayman said the run had quickly become an important part of the city’s memorial events, offering a positive way to to remember the 185 who had lost their lives on February 22, 2011, including Ady Lindsay, crushed when the newspaper’s heritage building collapsed.

She said the Run to Remember was a chance to come together with family and friends at an important time for the city.

‘‘The Port Hills have been a sanctuary for me and my family since the quakes. We can escape the broken buildings, the cranes and the road cones, get some exercise and just enjoy the views.’’

Sport Canterbury also organised the Pegasus Fun Run and Tough Kid kid, events organised to try and bring shared exercise back to the city. Immediately after the earthquakes, several major events including the City-2-Surf and Christchurch Marathon were postponed and cancelled, inspiring the Run to Remember.

Next year, on February 24, runners and walkers will head up Victoria Park Rd and along the Summit Rd before heading downhill on Rapaki Track to Aynsley Tce.

The Run to Remember was cancelled in 2017 due to the Port Hills fires. This year the annual balloon release was scraped in favour of a mass planting as a more sustainable, eco-friendly option.