For four intrepid locals, tomorrow’s Queenstown Marathon’s as much about raising money and awareness for good causes as knocking out the kilometres.
For the second year running, Frankton firey Jamie Harris is running the half marathon in his full firefighting kit, including his cylinder weighing about 17kg, to raise money for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer Foundation.
He’s also undertaken 40-plus stair challenges for the same cause, since 2009, but this time it’s hitting home a bit more as his sister was diagnosed with blood cancer earlier this year.
Harris says he’ll aim for ‘‘a steady jog’’ and use the aid stations to cool down.
Meanwhile, three McConnell Dowell staff, brought to town for the stage 3 upgrade of the Shotover wastewater treatment plant, are aiming
to raise about $2000 for local community support centre, Happiness House.
They’re site engineer Shirley Yeung, 28, who’s tackling the 10km run, project manager Joe Hare, 33, who’s on course for the half marathon,
and health and safety adviser Alex Charlick, who’ll run the marathon — ironically, for the latter two their course passes the ‘poo ponds’.
Hare says the trio have adopted Happiness House as their special cause, in line with a company initiative.
So far the trio’s raised about $1500 by reaching out to their networks.
