Twenty-four hours on the same treadmill
A 24-hour stint on a treadmill came to an emotional end.
Stephanie Gilchrist, of Palmerston North, spent half of Saturday and half of Sunday walking to raise money for mental health.
Over that time, she walked 146 kilometres and her fundraising effort to date has raised nearly $4000.
She is also training to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in September as part of a wider fundraising effort. Her 24 hours on the treadmill came to an emotional end with tears, laughter and hugs all round.
Gilchrist thanked her friends and family for their support. ‘‘I would not have got through without them... These people are amazing.’’
Gilchrist said she was touched by the people who walked with her and who had donated. ‘‘It was really good. The first eight hours went really fast because there were so many people. It was just really fun.’’
Gilchrist said the 24 hours went quickly, thanks to having people to talk to. ‘‘It makes all the more difference when you’ve got so many people coming through.’’
Mental health was an important issue and the support everyone showed was testament to that. ‘‘It goes to show how many people actually struggle with it. Everyone knows it is a good cause.’’
Her effort nearly went askew when she got a blister on her right foot.
‘‘Probably about 4am to 8am I just did not think I was going to be able to finish. Other than that my legs felt fine.’’
But she removed her shoe and carried on to complete the 24 hours with one shoe on.
Gilchrist said it was not about the distance, but about lasting the full 24 hours.
‘‘Last year I did 72km in 12 hours so, I knew it was going to be more.’’
She did a mixture of running and walking and took a short break every two hours to ensure she could last the distance.
At the end of her time she was rewarded with a well-earned glass of red wine.