Rotorua Marathon: Teen stoked to run on his birthday

Scott Macalister turns 18 on marathon day. Photo/Stephen Parker

Rotorua's Scott Macalister might have a quiet drink to celebrate his 18th birthday, it all depends on how his body recovers from the Rotorua Marathon.

The teen is aiming to complete his second marathon on Saturday, which is also his birthday. Last year he was 17 and one day when he finished in 3 hours 53 minutes.

He said he hadn't trained quite so regimentally this year but he hoped to beat his dad Philip, who is competing for the first time.

"My dad entered the off-road half marathon and that's part of the reason I did the half - I wanted to thrash him," Scots said. "It's good he's running the marathon."

The former John Paul College student got into running as part of rowing training. He said he found distance running pretty easy and last year he ran 67km as part of the Lake Taupo Relay before finishing the marathon. Whether he will get a new personal best will depend on how his body reacts to the race. He said his training has been "non-existent" though he has been on a number of multi-day tramps, including the Tongariro Northern Circuit and Abel Tasman Track.

"Hopefully that compensates a bit," he said. "I was pretty stoked to learn the race would be on my birthday. I reckon I'll go to the pub after for a few drinks but I might be a bit wobbly on my feet already so it might end up being a quiet night - not the wildest 18th."