The Star: July 20, 2023

The Star Thursday July 20 2023
12
NEWS
Big rubbish
clean-up at
bird reserve
JUST OVER 100kg of rubbish,
including plastic plant guards,
has been removed from a
popular site for endangered
birds.
Canterbury University
staff cleaned up the plastic
from Te Rauakaaka Nature Reserve
in Brooklands. The event
was to contribute to Plastic Free
July.
A popular recreation spot and
breeding area for endangered
birds like the Australian bittern,
the reserve sees a lot of rubbish
build-up and due to its proximity
to waterways, there is a high
risk of plastic waste ending up in
the ocean.
Said UC sustainability
engagement co-ordinator Chloe
Sutton: “I love seeing everybody
come together
over a shared
purpose and
do some really
satisfying mahi.
It was really nice
to see so many
Chloe
Sutton
colleagues jump
at the opportunity
to do something
good for their community and
I am looking forward to further
collaboration opportunities with
Environment Canterbury.”
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Blind runner takes on Big Apple
• By Susan Sandys
A BLIND man with a passion
for running will compete in
November’s New York Marathon.
Blair McConnell, 58, was
born with retinitis pigmentosa.
The genetic eye disease causes
cells in the retina to break down
slowly over time, resulting in
progressive vision loss.
McConnell will travel to The
Big Apple for the world’s largest
marathon as one of seven athletes
with Achilles International New
Zealand.
Achilles aims to provide people
with disabilities the opportunity
to participate in mainstream
athletics, and matches them with
volunteer guides.
McConnell, from Prebbleton,
started running about four years
ago after being an “armchair
sportsperson” for most of his life.
“I found a very patient guide,
who came to my place week after
week and took me out running.
In the early days, it was run a bit,
walk a bit, run a bit, walk a lot,
until we finally got up to a 5km
run.”
Guides run alongside their
vision-impaired jogger, who they
lead with the help of a tether.
Within three months of taking
up his new sport, McConnell
entered the Round the Bays half
marathon in Wellington, and
completed it. He went on
to compete in several more
half marathons.
The New York Marathon is
on November 5. At 42km, it will
be McConnell’s first-ever full
marathon.
McConnell said his main
guide, Noel Whiteside, was
unable to make the trip, allowing
fellow guide, Anton McLean, to
step in.
“I’m looking forward to
achieving a full marathon and
seeing parts of New York that
you could only see if you were
running it. But more importantly,
RUNNERS:
Blair
McConnell
(left), with
guide Noel
Whiteside,
training for
the New York
Marathon.
Whiteside
describes
the scenery
to Blair as
they run.
PHOTO:
GEOFF
SLOAN
• Watch the
video at
starnews.
co.nz
the opportunity to let others
know that they can do what they
want to, they are only limited by
their self beliefs,” he said.
McConnell said while he could
not see the world around him
while running, he could see
images of that world as his guide
would describe things as they
ran. These images were vivid,
as he could remember what the
world looked like from before he
lost his sight.
“My eyes don’t work, but I still
see,” McConnell said.
McConnell said as a child he
“could see enough to fake it”, and
played rugby while at school.
It was not until his early 20s
he needed a white cane or guide
dog to get around. Today, he
still has some light perception,
in that he can tell daytime from
nighttime.
He is looking forward to being
in New York.
“Central Park will be unreal,
just because it is so iconic.
Passing the Madison Avenue
Bridge, passing the Empire State
Building, I’m sure somebody
is going to tell me when we do
that,” McConnell said.
McConnell is a dad of three
teenagers and works for MYOB
selling business software. He has
a guide dog named Oakley.
While Oakley accompanies
McConnell as he heads into
the office, the 10-year-old black
labrador stays home when his
master goes running.
“If I’m late for his dinner, he
stands at the door in anticipation,
waiting for me to get home.”
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