How do you celebrate marathon number 99? Very slowly, if you're Tauranga's Ross Steele. <i>48 Hours</i> reporter Dawn Picken had no trouble catching one of the region's most prolific marathon men during a mission combining distance, fashion and fundraising.
How do you celebrate marathon number 99? Very slowly, if you're Tauranga's Ross Steele. 48 Hours reporter Dawn Picken had no trouble catching one of the region's most prolific marathon men during a mission combining distance, fashion and fundraising.
How do you celebrate marathon number 99? Very slowly, if you're Tauranga's Ross Steele. 48 Hours reporter Dawn Picken had no trouble catching one of the region's most prolific marathon men during a mission combining distance, fashion and fundraising.
We're 9km from the finish of the Kirikiriroa Marathon in Hamiltonlast Saturday when a man wearing an orange Hawaiian-print shirt and rainbow-coloured tutu recognises a reporter crouching in the grass with her camera phone. He scoops her up in a bear hug. Have I just ruined Ross Steele's chances of completing his 99th marathon by straining his back? Nope.
"Dawn, lovely to see you, mate," he says. Whew.
I've run to watch local history being made, one slow k at a time. I'd expected to find Ross and his orange band of tutu-clad mates around the 37k mark. Checking Ross' Facebook page told he'd be much later than I'd expected. He hit the halfway point around four hours into the race. For reference, the average marathon (42.2km) finish time for US men in 2014 was around four hours, 20 minutes. I ask Ross if he's making this event last as long as possible.
He says, "We're getting our money's worth. And it's just been really cool. So many people have rocked up in tutus and Hamilton is absolutely painted in orange. It's just one of those wow moments beyond belief."
Ross wears his trademark orange butterfly on his shoulder. Photo/Dawn Picken
Orange is Ross' signature colour, which he says race organisers were happy to promote. They also gave the 60-year-old realtor number 99. Friends brought two balloons with the number 9, and another group of women greeted him at the start line dressed as runaway brides.
By the time I reach Ross and his 12 or so supporters, they're dead last in what can only loosely be called a race.
Photos online show the group, who among them have completed hundreds of marathons and ultra-marathons, stopping to pose, eat lollies at aid stations and nosh on doughnuts, scones, slices and squares. Several friends have travelled from Christchurch for the event.
Dennis Jordan, who's doing his 211th marathon, came up from Taranaki. He says, "I first saw Ross at the Southland Marathon - He was wearing the f***ing shirt he's in now."
The group laughs and Ross adds, "That day, Mad Mike (Tennent, a Rotorua marathoner) came up to me and he said, 'Boy are you trying to outdo me?' I ran in my orange Hawaiian shirt, purple lavalava and silver tinsel hair."
Ultra-marathoner Ali Pottinger chimes in: "So Ross, the more marathons you do, the worse your fashion sense gets? Is that how it works?"
Ross Steele, Ali Pottinger and Kiri Price are several kilometres from the finish of the Kirikiriroa marathon. PHOTO/DAWN PICKEN
Kirikiriroa was meant to be Ross' 100th marathon, but arthritis in his left hip has slowed his pace and set him back. He says his condition wasn't caused by racking up 60,000km during a quarter-century running career that's taken him to all seven continents. Instead, his surgeon told him arthritis is in his genes.
"My dad had five hip ops in his time. His brother two, my brothers, two and one."
While arthritis has slowed the Hamilton event to a walk (using poles for the last 10km), empathy has led Ross to turn his 99th marathon into a fundraiser for Alzheimers Tauranga in honour of Thomas Morgan. He's the father of Ross' best friend, Lee Murray, and a former marathon runner who's fighting a long battle with dementia. Ross' efforts netted about $2000 for the cause.
"We are thrilled for you and delighted that you chose us to be involved," wrote Alzheimers Tauranga general manager Julie Sargisson on the group's Facebook page.
Ross wit his grandchildren Jacob, 8, and Caitlyn Potts, 6. Photo/Dawn Picken
With about 5km to go, Ross spots his physiotherapist, Julie Shepherd, standing along the Hamilton City River Ride trail. He says she's been treating him the past decade.
"Julie has gotten me through some very dark spots with injuries and the likes, and she always has me to the start line of my next event."
Group member Barry Fredheim is walking in a purple tutu. Ross tells me, "Barry is a clubmate from Tauranga. He reckons this will be the first and last time he ever wears a tutu in his life."
Barry jokingly asks Ross if he can shower at his place, which leads to an exchange about showering together to save water. Ross quips, "The running community is so giving."
Jokes aside, Ross says runners have bolstered him through life's challenges and heightened his celebrations. While nephew Jeremy Steele is walking his first marathon with this group, the rest of the gang are linked through sweat, not blood.
Ross says, "I come to these events, and it's like going to a family reunion. The running community is the most cool community I could ever want to belong to - like-minded people out there doing big distances having a mountain of fun and living life."
A group of Ross Steele's running mates from around the country turned out to walk his 99th marathon. PHOTO/DAWN PICKEN
Two-hundred metres from the end, we stop for another photo. Then Ross takes his grandchildren, 6-year-old Caitlyn and 8-year-old Jacob, by the hands and strolls to the finish.
Eye of the Tiger blares from speakers as Ross turns to face the small, cheering crowd before stepping over an orange feather boa and sneaking across the line with his "grandies".
"Seriously cool. Seriously cool," Ross says before event organiser Himanshu Parmar (Ash) drapes a medal around his neck. The tail-enders have taken about eight hours to complete the marathon. It was Ross' slowest 42.2km event to date, but no less special.
The group celebrates with banana cakes decorated with "99" and 20 bottles of bubbly. As for what's next, Ross says, "Unless my surgeon tells me otherwise, Rotorua on the sixth of May will be my 100th. It'll be my 24th Rotorua Marathon."
Bring on the orange tutus.
Ross Steele, Ali Pottinger and Kiri Price cross over the Waikato River. PHOTO/DAWN PICKEN
Kirikiriroa Marathon - Focus on first-timers and affordability ($32 entry) - Course starts and finishes at Hamilton Gardens and winds along the Waikato River - 170 runners finished the full marathon in 2017 www.kirikiriroamarathon.co.nz
Rotorua Mum of Five Training for First Marathon Jo Liddell says she had done a few half-marathons before starting her family 12 years ago. She always planned to complete a full marathon, but pressed pause while pregnant and breastfeeding.
"Five kids later, I was ready to try again."
Her twins were 2 years old when she started training for this year's Rotorua marathon. They're now 3. Her other children are 5, 8 and 10.
"The marathon is actually on my 41st birthday, so that felt like a sign - I've always wanted to do it and that was just a sign it was meant to be."
Jo joined a local group called Jogging the Power Poles, led by well-known Rotorua runner Kerris Browne. She says the group is free to anyone at any level, from those who can run 5km in 20 minutes, to those who take an hour to cover the same ground.
Jo Liddell is training for her first marathon, the Rotorua Lion Foundation marathon, in May. Photo/Stephen Parker
Jo says Kerris is an "amazing" coach.
"And it's the first time I've ever run in a group. I've always run by myself and now it's people with the same ability as me that I'm running with every week. It also helps that my husband comes home from work and looks after the kids."
Her longest run to date has been 27km, and aside from niggly knees, she feels good during and after runs.
Jo says her club devotes Tuesdays to hills, Thursdays to speed work and Sundays to long-distance runs.
"It's also an adventure. Last week, we did three different lakes and this week, four different lakes. We'll go to Hot Water Beach and then swim, or Okataina. It's just enjoying what's in our backyard. We're blessed and we should have the healthiest people in New Zealand living here with our outdoor resources."
There's no pace goal for Jo's first marathon - her aim is to finish and prepare for her next distance - an off-road race of about 50km.
"I don't really mind that it's taken so long - just now's my time - it's finally my time."
Rotorua Marathon - May 6 - Australasia's oldest marathon event - turning 53 this year - Marathon ($129), half marathon ($99), quarter marathon ($45) and 5.5km fun run ($35) - Late entry fees apply from April 1 - 3500 athletes took part last year www.rotoruamarathon.co.nz
