Fantastic Views and a Good Dose of Sunshine Don’t Come Free

And there’s nothing like a bit of boggy ground, plenty of rugged tracks and a few steep climbs to make them feel well earned.

Around 250 runners formed a line on the slopes of a forestry road in mid March, just outside the quiet village of Glendlough, to endure the Wicklow Mountains Half Marathon.

The clear mild day provided us all with awesome views of the surrounding terrain including pastured fields, forestry, stone walls and villages, while the Irish Sea sparkled in the distance.

Every race I run, whether long or short, is done for a particular reason.

This one wasn’t just trying to stay on my feet, or running a personal best, and I had the New Zealand Silver Fern slapped across the back of my racing top to prove it.

I ran this race to raise money for the Christchurch Earthquake Fund.

So far I have raised 200 euro for the fund, which the Irish Red Cross will send through to the city.

It’s hard being so far from home when friends and family are still being shaken around and trying to make their lives as normal as possible.

So as my legs burned and my lungs worked in overdrive at times as I was tested and thoroughly enjoyed Irish beauty spots like St Kevin’s Way and the Wicklow Gap, my heart stayed warm knowing I was running for an excellent cause.

Seeing the images on television of a destructed city is hard enough, but surely not even a fraction as hard as what those amongst it are having to deal with every day.

It was wonderful to run this race and do my bit for my local city.

Many thanks to everyone who has supported my cause so far.

The online charity will be open until April 20, so please still feel free to take a look, and share it amongst others who might want to do their bit too.

The link is:
http://www.mycharity.ie/event/annabelle_latzs_event/.


Christchurch is still a mess, but it’s impossible to break the kiwi spirit.

Hard work and positivity will see things turn around, and once again provide a population with a beautiful city and surrounding suburbs, and space for sport and fun.