Race4Life Track day 2017

Earlier this year I had the honour of attending the 10th annual Race4Life Track Day at Hampton Downs. It was my second year and, after experiencing a pretty amazing day the year before, didn’t think it could get much better. But it could, and it did. This year Viv James and her team of countless volunteers pulled out all stops to give 60 New Zealanders living with life-limiting illnesses a great day out. The effort wasn’t unusual, as the needle on Viv’s personal speedometer is often twice the average person’s cruising rate! What changed was my increased appreciation of the many volunteers and sponsors who, some for the 10th year in a row, gave their time, energy and resources to make the day a roaring success. 

Race4Life Track Day is run like a well-built and maintained machine. Every element – cars, ‘copter, trucks, motorbikes, volunteers, helmets, safety gear, food, shelters, signs, tee-shirts, consent forms and what have you –  arrived at their allocated place on time. Safety was paramount with several briefings held during the day to refresh new drivers and procedures followed to the ‘dot’. Plus there was an endless supply of food from BBQ breakfast butties to morning snacks, lunch and refreshments throughout the day. 

The full itinerary from 8am to 4pm included time for briefings, registrations, multiple rides and a yummy lunch complete with celebratory speeches and chocolate cake. Several visitors told me they didn’t know if they were going to make it as hadn’t been feeling well leading up to the event, but once there didn’t have time to feel crook. The Race4Life support crew gave it everything they had and the appreciation from visitors was evident. 

“The way the whole day was executed was unbelievable,” said Di Wong from Whangaparoa. “I was on cloud nine and got to go in a helicopter, a race car and – the icing on the cake -  a motorbike which I absolutely loved. I even kissed the rider, Dion, on the back of his neck as a thank you at the end. I was so excited.” 

“My 11-year old granddaughter saw a video that included that moment later and asked ‘has Poppa seen this video? Do you think it was a good idea to kiss another man?’ I assured her he was about the same age as her uncle, and one of many volunteers who put a big smile on my face.” 

“It was so nice to be with people who showed the positive side of life versus the bad,” said Di, who has since been treated to a Race4Life Wish experience in the South Island. “I’m a very, very lucky old tart.” 

Di’s daughter Kim, who accompanied her mum to Track Day was also blown away. “Viv and her wonderful team gave so much of themselves it was humbling,” said Kim, adding that she’s so pleased she attended after her father gave away going to what they all initially thought was a 10-kilometre running event. “We had a superb time together and the experience made me want to be a better person.” 

The 10 th anniversary Track Day dawned after days of torrential rain and flooding in the region, but the Race4Life support crew turned up anyway, some driving for hours to get there in time to prepare and greet their visitors. Mother Nature came through, providing overcast but dry conditions for the event, and so did the crew. Closed roads and detours meant nothing for this lot; they just carried on and put on a fantastic day. I guess that’s the thing – Race4Life recognises and celebrates adult New Zealanders dealing with closed roads and detours every day. Turning up and coming together in March showed us that together we can get there and make good things happen. 

Paula J