New Year resolution fulfilled
MEGAN Webb and daughter Harriet George were just two inspiring examples of the 1917 entrants in this year’s Dunedin Marathon events.
The city’s premier running event turned over another milestone yesterday when it was held for the 40th time.
During the past four decades, many have taken up the challenge of competing in the annual running event. For most, it has been the challenge of participation and of personal triumph.
For George, a fourthyear physics student at the University of Otago, competing came about from a New Year resolution.
‘‘I was really bad at it,’’ George said of her school crosscountry and running experiences.
But at New Year, she began jogging to improve her fitness and wellbeing and set a longterm goal of competing in the Dunedin Marathon.
Webb, a Dunedin dentist, was inspired by her daughter and thought it a good idea to give it a go, too.
The pair followed the training plan for the half marathon on the Dunedin Marathon website.
‘‘Hopefully, it said, I’d be able to run a half marathon at the end,’’ Webb said.
The two tested the running waters in the 10km Surf to Stadium event in April and, encouraged by their results, committed to yesterday’s half marathon.
Apart from some ‘‘gym stuff’’ at Unipol for George in recent years, the two had not actively participated in anything of a sporting nature until yesterday.
‘‘I always wanted to be good at running, and never really was,’’ George said.
George targeted a time of under two hours, but had to settle for 2hr 3min 40sec. She was happy to ‘‘just finish it’’.
Webb, who was aiming at anything under three hours, finished well inside her estimate, in 2hr 39min 1sec.