Waitakere half marathon ideal for Auckland event

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Shaun Collins is not your typical event director. He knows he is more than a little bit mad but that all helps to inspire athletes of all kinds to achieve the extraordinary.

The proud Westie, who is preparing to be the first runner to complete the Triple Hillary, is the man behind the Waitakere half marathon and 11km tomorrow week in West Auckland. Collins said the run is perfect for all runners preparing for the ASB Auckland Marathon and half marathon in three weeks' time.

He believes the toughest part of long distance running is the mental battle and completing the journey is great for the confidence. "For many this is the last chance for a same distance run before the big event. Some will treat this as a last fast-paced run and others as assurance that they are ready for the Auckland Marathon."

Collins said the half marathon in Henderson is relatively flat and achievable for athletes of all abilities. He expected the battle of the oldies to headline this year's race.

Jim Goodwin, 66, has done all 17 of the Waitakere Halves and he will be joined by Garth Barfoot, 78, who is treating the event as a test for his hip after a recent accident, and the oldest athlete in the field Ron Lawton, 80.

The Waitakere run has been going for 17 years and has attracted about 1400 participants. This year, organisers are expecting about 700, which is in line with the past couple of years.

This event is managed by Lactic Turkey on behalf of the Westy Trust, which raises money for the exclusive purpose of supporting and promoting talented youth in Waitakere City in respect of their aspirations in sport, education and/or cultural pursuits.

"The fact that the profits raised get spent on local projects makes people more involved and willing to come along," said Collins. Local groups, including the Waitakere Multisport Club, Sport Waitakere and the Piha North Surf Club, all assist in organising the event so it's a showcase of local sport.

Once Collins has finished organising this event he will turn his attention to his own running. The hard man has committed to doing the Triple Hillary Run (three lengths of the Hillary Trail) on Labour weekend. That is 225km and climbing 11,000m in harsh Waitakere terrain. He expects it will take around 40 hours.

"Why, I hear you scream?" he laughed. "Because it is there." Collins needs a challenge or goal to train towards.

"This would mean I had the Hillary Trail trifecta of being first [single, double and the triple] to run the furthest I've ever run, to run over 200km - how many more reasons do you need?" Collins is ready to make history out west. For everyone else the Waitakere Half is a great challenge that all the family can conquer.

Half marathon
When: October 19.
Where: Henderson.
Event options: 21.1km, 11km, 5km and 2km.
For more information visit: www.waitakerehalf.co.nz