March’s Round the Bays 8.4km fun run delivered just about perfect conditions for a day on the road around Auckland’s waterfront for NZ Optics co-owners Stephen Old and James Butcher, his wife Lisa and more than 31,000 other runners.
“The temperature was kind, the wind stayed away and there was no shortage of energy or encouragement to keep making our way around the waterfront,” Old said. The first kilometre, however, was always going to be a challenge for him.
“My ankle had been giving me grief in the lead-up and, with such a large field at the start line, finding any sort of space or rhythm was almost impossible. Progress was slow, cautious and a little frustrating, but patience paid off.”
As the field began to stretch out, Old said his ankle settled and he was able to open up his stride and find a pace that felt sustainable.
“From that point on, it became less about watching out for hazards and more about consistency, holding a rhythm, soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the experience. There’s something uniquely motivating about an event like Round the Bays: the cheers from the sidelines, the shared effort among runners and the sense that everyone is out there for their own reason, pushing through their own limits,” he said.
