#5 Storytime: A journey of life and loss in the Wadi Rum Desert - Hannah Rae

09/13/20 • 17 min

This short story is written and narrated by Kiwi woman, Hannah Rae. After losing a close friend in an alpine accident and her father within the space of a few weeks, Hannah spiralled into a period of grief. It was during this time that she took on the challenge of her first ultra marathon. This is not just another story about endurance running. It's a heartfelt tale of loss, resilience and personal growth, culminating with an adventure in the Wadi Rum desert.

MUSIC: Wild and Free by Hope Social Club

MUSIC: Wild and Free by Hope Social Club

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#4 FEAR Society and Kiwi adventure culture - Andy Magness

Originally from the states, Andy grew up immersed in North American outdoor culture before relocating to NZ later in his adult life. In this episode Andy and I chat about adventure racing and a small but growing adventure racing community in Te Anau, on the edge of Fiordland National Park in New Zealand. Andy is the enthusiasm behind FEAR Society (AKA Fiordland Endurance and Adventure Racing Society), which is now in its fourth year serving dirtbag adventure racers. We talk about Andy’s Godzone Fiordland experience, specifically how on earth he managed to get such terrible trench foot and how he pushed through it. We also discuss risk and parenting, ego and the outdoors. We touch on the differences between North American and Kiwi outdoor culture and why Andy thinks New Zealanders make such strong adventure racers.

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MUSIC: Wild & Free by Hope Social Club

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#6 Legend in our mountain biking community - Ashley Peters

Ashley Peters is renowned for her huge smile and infectious love of bikes. I consider her one of the most incredible role models for women in leadership in sport and recreation in New Zealand. Since first learning to mountain bike fifteen years ago, she has set up multiple bike organisations in New Zealand, largely focused on helping others achieve independence. Ash is a PMBIA Mountain Bike 2 instructor and an NZOIA level 2 mountain biking assessor. In this episode we chat about the joys of biking and the positive things we’re seeing in the industry, including the development of New Zealand mountain bike qualifications. We discuss gender equality in sport and recreation, including strategies to increase female participation in outdoor recreation activities. We discuss the differences between competition and recreation and how these different styles play into long-term participation.

Photo: Laurence Crossman-Emms

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