Nelsonians team up to beat Rod’s marathon time

Forty-odd Nelsonians are teaming up to do what one Nelsonian achieved on his own – run a marathon in under 2 hours and 9 minutes.

The runners – some of whom aren’t really runners at all – will each run a 200-metre leg before passing the baton to the next person.

The goal is to collectively run a marathon faster than when Rod Dixon won the New York City Marathon in 1983 – 2hr 8m 59s.

To do that the average pace for a 200-metre leg is 36.7 seconds. Each runner will run several legs throughout the run with some of the faster runners likely to be nudged to the front of the queue more often than some of the slower ones.

The run will take place during The Spectacle, a massive running festival that will be held on Saturday, 14 December, in Nelson’s CBD.

The track for the race will follow the same route as the 5km race, a loop between Church Lane, Hardy St, Hope Lane and Selwyn Place.

It has been organised by Conal Beban, who came up with the idea after seeing a YouTube video of some Australians trying to break the world record marathon time by doing a relay.

Weaving that in with The Spectacle and with the goal of beating Rod’s time, it was a sure winner.

But the cause is far bigger than just trying to beat Rod’s time, Conal says the main reason for the event is as a fundraiser for Ranui House in Christchurch.

Ranui House is a lifeline for families who find themselves in Christchurch for life-saving medical treatment.

These families often travel far from home, leaving behind their support networks, and face the emotional and financial strain of long hospital stays.

Ranui House provides them with a home away from home—a place where they can stay close to their loved ones, receive comfort, and a sense of community during some of the most challenging times of their lives.

Conal says he hopes to raise $10,000 for Ranui House.

“It’s an amazing facility that helps people from all over the South Island when they are going through a pretty tough time in their lives. I’ve stayed there and it’s an amazing facility.”

The team will start at 4.30pm and are hoping to finish shortly after 6.30pm.
While they do have about 40 keen runners so far, Conal says they are keen for more.

“It’s not about whether you’re a runner or not, it’s about if you’re up for raising some money for Ranui House and being a part of a pretty cool event.”

Rod Dixon says he will be a keen observant of the run and hopes they can break his time.

“It will be great if they can do it, I think it’s fantastic. I love the fact that there is so much enthusiasm and such a ground swell of support for running in Nelson and Tasman.”

If you’re interested to be involved in the run, email Conal at [email protected]

If you would like to donate, visit the ‘Racing Rod for Ranui’ Givealittle page here.