Emma & Keith enjoy one of the high points of the weekend - McElwain Lookout

I was privileged to spend last weekend in the company of two wonderful people, both clients on our Karekare Trails Training Camp, and now very much friends.

Keith’s story is inspirational. About 5 years back he weighed 110 kilos, but then he took the life-changing decision to shed weight. Six months (and many carrots) later he was down to 78 kilos, pretty much the weight he is today. Three years ago he took up trail running and it is now his number one obsession – “even bigger than my obsession with coffee” he says. His enthusiasm for his new-found love is infectious. His passion has a real, raw and genuine quality to it. And it’s cool because you know it has changed his life for the better.

By contrast Emma, I doubt, has ever had a spare kilo of body fat. Her background is triathlon and road running. She had pedigree but very little trail running experience and confessed to being super-nervous about how she was going to cope with a weekend of the Waitakeres’ best and meanest trails. She was quaking in her suspiciously clean, new-looking trail shoes, as we set off down the hill to rendezvous with ‘day boy’ Paul, who was joining us for Saturday’s run.

An hour in to day one and our happy quartet had already sampled the glories of Karekare beach, west coast dunes and the fun crossing of the Pararaha Stream. We were about to make our assault on the steep, grubby climb that is the Muir Track. Keith was revelling in his surroundings and gushing about his love for the trails. Paul & I were chirping in with more “this is the meaning of life” type stuff when it occurred to me that poor Emma must be thinking she was embroiled in some kind of induction ceremony for a new cult religion. But I needn’t have worried for by now she was already a convert to the Gospel according to Keith. The future for Emma has less bitumen and more mud in it I’m sure. Thank you Keith for your evangelical enthusiasm – you have helped save another soul from the damnation of concrete!

For more information on our Karekare Trails Training Camps click here.

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