Former international cricketer Mark Richardson is Hamilton Half Marathon's new event ambassador. Here he shares why he runs to keep fit and has a tip to fellow 'weekend warriors'.
Running events saved my life ... well I'm being a bit melodramatic there - but I reckon I was heading toward a post-sporting life of sitting on my butt and eating, and not much good comes from that.
The first real event I did was a 34km coastal run that involved wading, swimming, rock-hopping, scrambling and soft sand running. It left me vomiting, cramping, heat struck and physically just about in the worst condition I've been in; only once have I been worse which was after a dodgy vindaloo in India.
It also left me euphoric ... well sort off.
It was the challenge that got to me. Never had I challenged myself like I had over the last 11km of that run. Yeah, sure I'd faced the fastest bowlers and trickiest spinners the world had to offer in my cricket career, and when you are playing sport for a living the pressure of the situation is immense, but I knew what I was doing when it came to batting. Let's face it, I'm no athlete.
It took every bit of will power I had to haul my failing body to the finish line that day. And I promise you I felt proud of myself when I did. Every bit as proud as batting a test 100.
Running is funny really, because as I shuffled along Takapuna beach, I was saying to myself that I would never do this again, and yet, within 10 minutes of finishing I was planning how I was going to attack the race the following year.
From that day on I've been a runner. Well, a weekend warrior to be exact ... entering events and running hard, competing against my friends but mostly against myself.
It's a simple act, running; easy to do for a wee while, but hard to do for a long time. Its simplicity makes it accessible to everyone and it offers everyone a plethora of reasons to do it. I do it now to achieve a burning desire to run a sub-three hour marathon and coming from the couch with little natural athletic ability, achieving that goal will make me feel chuffed with myself. And that's it really. Whatever your reason to run it gives you a chance to feel chuffed, and feeling chuffed with yourself is a great feeling.
Running events are wonderfully inclusive. Everyone can get involved from the elite athlete, driven to win, to the weekend warrior trying to top 10, to a mother of four wanting to challenge herself, to the event-goer who just likes being part of a crowd.
Mark will run the Hamilton Half Marathon on October 6.
Mark's tip for a great half marathon - buy your new shoes now. These are your tools and, like every new tool, you want to get used to them and adapt your body to them and be an expert when it comes to the big job. Shiny new shoes look good on the day, but chances are at the end of the event your feet won't look so shiny and new at all.