While most of the country was watching the Rugby World Cup Final live last Sunday morning, our small team of CPNZ athletes was running in the 2023 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Marathon to raise awareness of Parkinson’s disease, the urgent need for research, and our charity, and of course, to raise funds for research!
Grace, Jack (age 13), and Daniel lined up in blustery and cool conditions on their respective courses: the 11-km Traverse for father and son team Jack and Daniel, and the full 42.2-km marathon-distance pain-fest for Grace.
Grace covered the course in a quicker time than she expected, pushing through the pain barrier to come home in 5 h 17 minutes in her first ever marathon. Incredible.
Meanwhile, Jack pushed himself hard, wanting to do the best he could for all those with Parkinson’s, including family, finishing in an impressive time of 52 min, 6 minutes ahead of his old man.
Massive thanks to Grace and Jack for raising funds for Parkinson’s research (>$1600) and for increasing awareness of our cause! Thank you to all who donated to Grace and Jack, supporting them in this endeavour.