Round the Bays Run. 2010

This morning, the water engineer and 13 year old Sam joined about eighty thousand old, and young, male and female and baby strollers and prams as they braved the drizzle to run for a good cause. The 8.4 km run began in the city on Quay St and finished on the waterfront at St Heliers Bay. Funds raised by the event are dedicated to selected charities that benefit children. The Prime Minister John Key was there to cheer them on.

Ports of Auckland Round the Bays has been an annual event in Auckland since 1972, when the Auckland Joggers Club initiated it. The first run attracted 1200 participants and has now grown to be one of the world's largest fun-runs with nearly 40,000 registered runners and an estimated 80,000 participants.

Today the event is a joint collaboration between the Auckland Joggers Club and Fairfax Media.

The run is 8.4km long over a flat course that follows the contours of Auckland's Waitemata harbour. It is started in the city on Quay St and finishes on the waterfront at St Heliers Bay.

Every registered participant of Ports of Auckland Round the Bays receives a runner number to wear on the day and a personalised certificate recording the time they completed.

After the run, most companies had tents erected, and they had a party the kiwi way, the runners were treated with a sausage sizzle. Sam really enjoyed this. Both the water engineer completed the distance, but they did not beat the record set by my run when I was much younger.

http://www.roundthebays.co.nz/default,7,about-the-run.sm








You may be wondering why I didn't run. I didn't run this year because when the water engineer signed up to run as a team with his company when he was overseas, he thought I didn't want to run since I had run before. I have not been training so I didn't join my mates from school. Besides, being tongue in cheek, some one had to be the driver to transport the brave hearts. On our way back, it was bumper to bumper as drivers came to pick their tired runners home.

This last photo was the second time I ran the Round the Bays run in Auckland in the early 1982. This was the Kerridge Odean team. We ran about eleven kilometers. My boss was Mr. Westgate. I haven't seen him since I left in 1984.

Not far in the West, the have built a shopping mall, and called it Westgate. G learned her driving there, and I tell her about Mr. Westgate. He was a good boss, otherwise I would still be @@##$$ him.

Kerridge Odeon used to own many many cinemas in New Zealand. I worked in the 246 building in Queen Street. Alas the company is no more.