First time Hawke's Bay's half-marathoner fundraises for mental health

Brooke Wilson with her daughter Aria is looking forward to competing in the Hatuma Half Marathon. Photo / Supplied

Mum-of-two and avid runner Brooke Wilson will be running her very first half-marathon to fundraise for mental health, a cause close to her heart.

Wilson, 25, from Napier, decided she wanted to fundraise for Gumboot Friday by running the Hatuma Half Marathon in September.

"I am a mother of two children, a little boy Leikin who is 2-and-a-half and a little girl Aria Wilson-Tuu'u who is 10 months old," Wilson said.

"I have been wanting to do a half marathon before I had children. I had signed up for the half marathon in Taupō but then fell pregnant with my boy.

"I have chosen mental health as I suffered from mental health issues and so did my sister and I any bit I raise will go towards helping people and is worth me doing the run."

Brooke Wilson would normally run with her son Leikin which might make it challenging when running the half-marathon. Photo / Supplied

"I was depressed for a year pre-babies when I was around 18," she said.

"I have seen so much on social media with people struggling and they can't get the help they need and also with Mike King putting lots of information about needing funding to help people get the help they need."

She said she was using the training plan on the Hatuma half marathon Facebook page to guide her through it, but her end-goal wasn't a lofty one.

"I just want to get to the finish line in the two and half hours we have," she said.

"I will usually be running with my daughter and maybe sometimes my son which makes it more challenging.

"I am excited to do the half marathon to see how far I can push my body to its limits and also my mental side of doing it. And also get the rush when I cross the finish line."

Brooke Wilson is juggling being a mum with training for the Hatuma Half Marathon. Photo / Supplied

She said her partner was supporting her by looking after the kids when she trained.

"I sometimes run, I try to be an avid runner. It's for my mental health," she said

Her mother, who is 52, was also taking part in the half marathon to support Wilson.

"It's her second half marathon, but she's going to try run some of it this year. She walked in the last one, and she's not fundraising."

She's hoping to raise $1000 for Gumboot Friday and has raised $375 to date.

Into its fourth decade now, the marathon is still very much a highlight on the local sporting calendar.

This year's event starts and finishes at the Waipukurau Racecourse on September 19.