Nelson runners complete New York marathon
The four Nelson runners who completed the New York City Marathon with the Big Apple behind them. They are from left; Andrew Board, Lester Binns, Kim Ngawhika and Nick Smith. Photo: Supplied.
Four Nelsonians have done their small bit to continue the legacy of one of Nelson’s most decorated athletes, by running that race that Rod Dixon famously won in 1983 and raising money for his charity.
Rod Dixon’s KiDSMARATHON was set up by the former New York City Marathon winner and has since seen around 1.5 million primary school-aged children complete their own marathon over a school term both in the United States and New Zealand.
To mark 40 years since he won the iconic race, he put together a team of four Nelsonians to run the 2023-edition of the race while raising money for his programme.
The team – backed by local sponsors and donors – raised more than $20,000 for the programme, all of which will be used for local school children in Nelson and Tasman.
The four runners included Nelson mayor Nick Smith, Kim Ngawhika, Lester Binns and Nelson Weekly publisher Andrew Board.
All four completed the grueling marathon (42.2km) which was held relatively mild conditions. It wasn’t without hiccups however, Kim was trapped in her hotel elevator at 4.30am on her way to the bus which was to take her to the start line. She was rescued by the New York Fire Department after 20-odd minutes before racing to catch the bus.
“I was freaking out that I’d miss my bus but fortunately they got me out in time,” she says.
Nick says the day was almost perfect.
“The marathon was an awesome experience. I was amazed that a city of 20 million people could be so friendly and put on such a fantastic community event. It was an extra pleasure to do it with three fellow Nelsonians and to raise funds for Rod Dixon’s inspirational KiDSMARATHON programme.”
Andrew says the highlight was the enthusiastic support from the people who came to watch in all five of the city’s boroughs – Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Manhattan.
“Running through the different boroughs was incredible. Crowds of people line the streets, shouted encouragement, held hilarious signs, blasted music and one even offered runners a hit of his bong (legal in New York). It was honestly one of the best experiences of my life, it’s a massive credit to the city and its people.”
Kim, who was also running to honour her brother who passed away a year earlier, says it was an amazing experience.
“I thought it was incredible, the day had so many people running and so many people watching and they were so enthusiastic. New Yorkers must love the marathon, they were so supportive. I saw a few funny signs, one said ‘I moved my car for you’ and another read ‘today the rats aren’t running the city, you are’.”
She says her brother would have been “super proud and a bit jealous”, so it was perfect.
Lester, who had run one marathon before says it was a completely different experience.
“It felt like a real once-in-a-lifetime experience. I found it overwhelming and incredible at the same time. I couldn’t believe the noise and support from New Yorkers. I’m really grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of it.”
In total, 141 of the 51,200 runners at New York were from New Zealand.
The Nelson runners were supported by Sport Tasman, former Olympic medal winner Lorraine Moller, Rod Dixon, Gibbons Holdings Ltd, Matthews Eyewear, Smith Cranes, Good Storage and Top South Media, along with dozens of individual donors.
The Givealittle page is still open, so if you’d like to donate please visit here.
Rod waves Nelson’s flag at New York marathon
Rod Dixon’s running life was put on stage on the eve of the New York City Marathon earlier this month at the ‘Night of Champions’ event in the Big Apple.
Rod famously won the New York City Marathon in dramatic fashion in 1983, overtaking Englishman Geoff Smith just several hundreds metres from the finish line in the 42.2km race.
The New York City Marathon is one of the world’s ‘majors’, with 50,000 runners taking part and around two million people crowding the city’s streets to watch and encourage the runners.
Rod’s famous victory came 11 years after he won a bronze medal in the 1500m at the Munich Olympics.
Rod, who still lives in the Tasman district, grew up in Nelson and attended Tahunanui School and then Waimea College. Forty years after his historic win, becoming the only New Zealander to win the race then and since, his life was celebrated in a packed Staton Island Athletic Club ‘Night of Champions’ function the night before the 2023 edition of the race.
“It was a total shock, I didn’t expect it,” he says.
“It was a ‘this is your life’-style thing and they brought in Dave Wattle, who won the gold medal in the 1972 Olympics [where Rod won bronze], I hadn’t seen him in 50 years. They also had Geoff Smith there, it was very, very heart warming, very emotional.”
In 2016 Rod was inducted into the New York Road Runners Hall of Fame and he says he continues to get a thrill out of inspiring the next generation of runners.
“I was really inspired by Sir Edmund Hillary, he came to Tahunanui School to speak with us when I was a kid and it really had an impact on me. After I won the bronze medal I went to visit him and his home and told him that he inspired me, he said ‘will you inspire the next generation? I said ‘yes, I will’ and I’ve been trying to ever since.”