INSPIRING ATHLETES

Finding the words to describe the GODZone experience and what it means to me has always been a struggle. How can I do justice to an event that has genuinely shaped me in to the person I am today?

The race has been a profound and huge part of my life for half a decade now and has morphed into an annual pilgrimage of sorts. Without it I think I would still be lost, searching to find myself in this journey we call life. It is truly a unique kind of race; different from any other competitive event I have done before. A week of adventuring in the wilds of backcountry New Zealand changes your outlook on life. You never quite see the world through the same eyes as those you looked through while nervously jiggling up and down on the start line. The word ‘impossible’ has now been seemingly lost from my inner monologue’s vocabulary. Dreams are no longer far-fetched fantasies that bumble around in my brain never coming to fruition. Dreams are now the starting point of my reality and I have GODZone to thank for that.

GODZone helps me find solace in the knowledge that unsullied and rarely experienced parts of this world still exist. There are still places just over the hills that are wonderfully wild. GODZone is the embodiment of my childhood dreams; being outside; exploring new places; staying up way past my bedtime; sleeping under the stars; drinking Coca-Cola and eating lollies to my hearts content. My 10 year-old self would be inspired. During GODZone we get to experience what some people would consider a lifetime of adventures coupled with a lifetime of emotions. It provides a chance for us to truly live in the moment. The trials and tribulations lead to the highest of highs and lowest of lows. Brutally rewarding. How often as adults do we actually do something that ‘scares’ us; something that ‘challenges’ us; something where failure is a distinct possibility? GODZone gives us these opportunities.