News & Updates

Our Athletics for Every Body campaign was launched earlier this month to encourage kiwi kids to give running, jumping and throwing a go at their local athletics club this summer. Through the voices of our leading athletes, we give you seven good reasons to take the plunge.

An event for everyone

No sport quite boasts the varied suite of events like athletics. From sprints to distance running and jumps to throws there is at least one event to meet everyone’s needs and desires.

The 2019 New Zealand 5000m champion Matt Baxter is one of the country’s leading distance runners and from joining Woodleigh Athletics in Taranaki as a kid he loved trying out all the different events.

“I had a lot of fun seeing who I could beat in a sprint, how far I could jump, and learning how to throw a discus. These club nights were a highlight of my week.”

This point was echoed by national senior men’s 800m champion James Preston who said: “For me personally, I always liked the shorter events as a youngster and I was not a fan of the distance events. But because of the variety of disciplines within the spot I was able to change and try different events as I got older.”

Enhance your physical ability

The sport of athletics allows for basic growth of body movements, which are hugely advantageous for everyone. For this reason, Sam Tanner, the second fastest New Zealand 1500m runner in history, would encourage everyone to engage with athletics.

“It is a great opportunity to do physical activity with friends, try new things and grow your physical literacy skills,” explains Sam.

New Zealand women’s javelin record-holder Tori Peeters supports this view and adds: “Regardless of whether you have a favourite event or whether you don’t think you are good enough for a certain event it really doesn’t matter. The skills you learn and develop through athletics will stay with you for life.”

Learn transferable skills

The basic skills of running, jumping and throwing are not just useful for athletics but provide the foundation for all sport. New Zealand women’s 200m champion and 2022 World Championship representative Georgia Hulls said: “Whether it is the sprints, hurdles, distance races, jumps and throws everyone will find an event that they like. Not only that, you will learn skills that are transferable to every other sport.”

Sport for every body

Not only does athletics have a sport for everybody but it has a sport suitable for every body regardless of size, shape or ability. Commonwealth high jump champion Hamish Kerr says as “a tall, skinny kid” he found his stature was a “natural fit” for high jump.

“I never feel that athletics is limiting,” he explains. “You might come into the sport a certain body shape and over time your body shape may change but because of the range of events in athletics you have the option to switch events to suit your new size and shape.”

Hone those competitive instincts

Athletics is a great sport to consistently monitor self-improvement and is a great competitive outlet, according to Paralympic javelin F46 champion Holly Robinson.

“I loved being able to try to throw further at training and during competitions,” explains Holly. “It was always a joy when I improved my performances. I loved the feeling of working hard to throw further and later reap the rewards of all that hard work.”

Be part of a team

For 2016 Rio Olympic 1500m runner Julian Matthews joining a club had the benefit of adding more of a team dimension to his athletics experiences.

“During my time training and competing for the club I made a lot of great friends, young and old, and we had a lot of fun on and off the track,” he explains. “Even though athletics is mostly an individual sport, being part of a club gives you a team of people who will support you to achieve your best.”

Grow as a person

Athletics has proved a rich opportunity to grow and flourish for so many people. Paralympic shot put F37 champion Lisa Adams says: “Athletics has given me the drive to make great changes in my life and grow as a person. It has allowed me to travel to awesome places, experience and witness amazing things and meet some really cool people.”

Meanwhile, double Tokyo 2020 Paralympic sprint medallist Danielle Aitchison adds: “Athletics has given me so much and allowed me to grow as a person and become more independent and organised.”

***For more information on how to locate your local athletics club go here