Is Sam, 44, our oldest altar boy?
About 1200 people got pelted with a palette of colours - but all for a good cause.
The popularity of the Rainbow Run is growing too, with 200 more entrants registered for yesterday’s event than in 2016, which was the first time the event was held in New Plymouth.
First across the finish line was 11-year-old Connor Ainsworth, who got showered in orange, and then purple, as his reward.
It was the second year in a row he had crossed the line first in the 5km event. While happy with the result, Connor said the highlight had been getting covered in colour. ‘‘That was really cool,’’ he said. At the beginning of the course, most participants were clad in pristine white but as they made their way along the coastal walkway, pink, green, yellow, blue, purple and orange cornflour was hurled in their direction.
The Gilmour brothers copped their fair share along the way.
Jack, 11 and Rory, 9, had done the Rainbow Run with their parents, but the boys had left the adults in their rainbow-hued dust.
‘‘It was pretty awesome,’’ Jack said of the event. ‘‘It is just a fun thing to do.’’ Spotswood College student Courtney Goble also had her mother, brother and his friend in tow for the Rainbow Run, which began at East End Reserve and ended at Ngamotu Beach.
She had not put much training in for the event, but loved running as a sport.
‘‘I do well at country,’’ she said.
Terry Long, of Sport Taranaki, said the Rainbow Run was a ‘‘bit of a phenomenon around the world’’.
He was pleased so many families had decided to take part as the organisation’s main aim was to help people become more active.
He said the support from the public will help the organisation give something back in return.
All funds raised from the Rainbow Run will go to Sport Taranaki.
‘‘It’s going to allow us to do some really cool programmes in the community,’’ Long said.
Last year’s event raised around $20,000. school cross- At 44, Sam Butler is one of the oldest altar boys in New Zealand.
The Taranaki man is a well known face at St Joseph’s Waitara parish, where his family have attended since 2000.
While he is thirty years older than the other altar servers among the flock, Sam, who turns 45 later this month, is showing no signs of hanging up his robe.
Sam became an altar server in 2002.
His mother, Moira Butler, said he really enjoyed being part of the church community. ‘‘He just loves it. He’s a very, very spiritual young man.’’
Duties an altar server performs include carrying the cross and candle into church before Mass begins and presenting the bread, wine and water to the priest.
Along with this help, Sam also offers a friendly face to parishioners when he greets them on a Sunday morning and hands out the weekly newsletter.
Moira said Sam’s devotion to his faith included a collection of about 45 crosses, which he kept on a shelf above his bed.
The Butler family are also part of a Faith and Light group, which is a network of Christian communities for people with an intellectual disability.
Founded in France in 1971 by Jean Vanier, there are more than 1,600 communities now in 80 countries. Currently there are nine groups across New Zealand.
She said the Taranaki group, which is called Kimi Ora provided a chance for people to come together to pray and share their experiences. ‘‘Kimi Ora means to seek wellness,’’ Moira said.
Like other parishes across the country, St Joseph’s Waitara is preparing for Easter, which was Sam’s favourite time of year, Moira said. ‘‘Well, that and his birthday.’’
In 2015, Guiness World Records named Peter Reilly as the longest serving altar boy.
Reilly, who was born in February 1915, served for 91 years at St Mary’s RC Church in Saltcoats, United Kingdom. He served his last mass on his 100th birthday.
Mark Richards, of the Catholic Diocese in Palmerston North, said there are more than 700 altar servers who volunteer every week at the 47 churches within its area, which includes the Hawke’s Bay, Whanganui, Taranaki and Manawatu regions and part of the Wairarapa.