Julia's Fundraising Page

Broome, WA.

Wellington Harbour .

With my "Coast to Coaster".

The Hutt River Trail.

On October 30 I will be competing in the Auckland Half Marathon. In 2000, my friend Pamela and I completed our very first half marathon, walking from Lower Hutt to Wellington. We chanced upon an entry form, decided to give it a go, finished in a respectable time, and from memory, we even enjoyed ourselves!

Including that first effort, I have now completed 14 half marathons, usually as a walker. I enjoy the challenge of these organised events, but really only compete against one person, myself! With some extra training, I hope to jog most of the 21.1km course in Auckland, my goal being to finish in under 2h30m. I have decided to become a "Heart Racer", and I hope you have a moment to read the information below, from the event's official charity, the Heart Foundation.

Each day 16 New Zealanders die as a result of coronary heart disease. That's one person every 90 minutes. And many of these deaths are premature and preventable.

Cardiovascular disease (heart, stroke & blood vessel disease) is the single leading cause of death in New Zealand. It causes 40 percent of all deaths annually in our country - making it more deadly than all forms of cancer.

The nature of who is affected by it is changing. New research shows that young adults in their 20s and 30s are being admitted to hospital for heart attacks more than ever before, and that this age group is dying at a faster rate than people of the same age in previous generations. Much of this change is due to unhealthy lifestyles - poor eating habits, lack of physical activity and being a smoker.

But the good news is that many risk factors for heart disease are preventable, if people make healthy lifestyle choices.

So, help me as I join the race to beat heart disease.

I've signed up as a Heart Racer to raise money to support the Heart Foundation. By donating through my webpage you will be helping the Heart Foundation continue its vital work in research, cardiac rehabilitation, education programmes and resources.

I'll do all the training and complete the event, but I really need you to make a difference to the hearts of New Zealanders.

So, please could you sponsor me?

Select the "Make a donation" button below. It's simple, fast and totally secure and the money goes directly to the Heart Foundation's bank account.

If you live in New Zealand your donation is tax deductible and a receipt will be issued.

So please consider making a donation to this worthy cause, and feel free to pass this page on to your family and friends!

Thankyou for your support, Julia.

p.s. This is a great way to donate to an excellent NZ organisation; no need to buy a sausage, or a bar of chocolate, or a raffle ticket for a prize you don't really want!