New Mates Going Major

“This trip was about more than running a marathon,” says Keely Small, the 800-metre Youth Olympic gold medallist turned first-time marathoner. Keely was reflecting on the amazing chance she’d been given – along with three other runners from Australia and New Zealand – to run the TCS New York City Marathon.

“New Balance gave all of us the opportunity to showcase our individual stories and run clubs and what they’re truly about. I think that was evident with how close the whole crew got and the friendships we built in such a short amount of time,” says Keely, who was representing the Byron Run Club.

“Being able to experience New York and run an insanely cool marathon as a team of best friends made the trip so incredibly special.”

That sentiment – of friendship complementing or transcending athletic achievement – echoes through every conversation we had with our four runners as we debriefed about their achievements. What makes their bond particularly remarkable is how it formed through shared wonder at one of running’s greatest spectacles. Whether representing Byron Run Club, Olivers Hill Run Club, Jog On or Hunter Athletics, each runner found themselves caught up in the unique energy of the Big Apple and its famed marathon.

“I probably got legitimate tingles, like whole-body tingles, 10 to 15 times throughout the race,” says Olivers Hill Run Club founder Connor Sahely of his marathon debut. “The atmosphere, the energy …” At one point, about eight kilometres in, he even turned back against the flow of runners to high-five a disappointed young spectator who’d been missed by the pack.

“I was running and about two metres off to the side of me was this little kid of four or five years old who had his hand held out to try and high five. He was a bit too far off the course, so nobody was really reaching him.

“And I could see he was a little bit disheartened by that. I saw him, and I was too far away to get to him, but I got about 50 metres ahead and I thought, ‘No, I’ve got to go back,’ so I turned around to run against the crowd and give him a high five.”

“For me, that’s what the race was about. Having never raced before, it was not about breaking any record or achieving a time. It was about making sure I enjoyed it, taking moments to appreciate the crowd and appreciate the opportunity that I had to be able bodied and in New York City running … I finished in just a touch over four hours, which I was really happy with,” Connor says.

In the days leading up to the race, the group explored the city together, from a shakeout run in SoHo to riding bikes through Manhattan. “Even going out as a group and running through Central Park – I’ll never forget that,” Josh Foo (Hunter Athletics) says. “Having the opportunity to connect with other people, other running clubs, on a global level was just absolutely incredible.”

What’s remarkable is how removing the pressure of time goals led to extraordinary performances. Josh was attempting something audacious – racing New York just three weeks after setting a 2:56 personal best in the Melbourne Marathon, his sixth and a two-and-a-half-minute improvement on his previous PB. Despite the quick turnaround and New York’s challenging course, he crossed the finish line in 2:57, carried by what he calls “pure joy, love and happiness through the entire 42.195 kilometres”.

For Wellington’s Meg Marshall, making her marathon debut after injury thwarted an earlier attempt, the race was full of surprises. She’d kept her expectations low, casually checking her watch as live messages of encouragement streamed in from friends and family a world away. It was around the 30-kilometre mark that realised she was on track for an impressive sub-four-hour finish. “I genuinely couldn’t wipe the smile off my face,” the Jog On co-founder says.

“I was having so much fun going by feel.” Initially expecting to cross the line around 4:30, she finished in 3:55, a time that left her “completely confused” with joy.

Keely, despite her elite track background, approached the marathon with a similar mindset. “I knew I was fit but it was more important for me to enjoy the experience,” she says. That approach paid dividends as she crossed the line in under 3:10. “It reminded me that times and good performances come when you’re enjoying it and having fun.”

Beyond the race itself, the group made the most of their time in New York. Careening through traffic on Citi Bikes to get to dinner, or attending an NBA game together, they had a blast. As Connor says, they “felt like rock stars running through Central Park” with the content creation teams, NorthSouth and Rabbitwolf Creative, capturing their journey.

Each runner brought their own story – Keely’s transition from track to marathon, Josh’s back-to-back achievement, Meg’s debut triumph, and Connor’s joyful first race of any distance. But together they found something more meaningful than individual success.

As Josh puts it, “Running was the one thing that brought us together, but the group of people really made it.”

As the runners prepare to head home – some to Australia, Meg back to Aotearoa – they carry with them not just finishers’ medals but lasting friendships.

“We’ll be friends for life,” Josh says. “No doubt about that.”

Tempo would like to thank New Balance and the runners for partnering with us on this incredible project.