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Join me in October! Nope, now it’s December (2021?)

By Yvette Michalska

Sorted! All 50km done and it’s been a-mazing!

Thanks everyone! For all the support for Tearfund and for myself over the past few months. We did it!


 A virtual Taupo 50km was done locally around Wellington on Saturday with “a bit of help from my (very lovely) friends”!  And my amazing husband.   Adam. Who is still with me and did the whole support crew thing on the day (honestly, felt like a pro athlete, me!).


To all who have sponsored - we just passed the $2k mark in sponsorship today! That’s huge and much more than anticipated and made the run more purposeful (as the $$ increased I definitely felt the pressure to actually to get-out-there-and-just-finish-this-thing!)


Highlights: after weeks of appalling weather we had the first good day- and it was stunning; running buddies joining in and not overtaking me; being unexpectedly ahead of schedule (by almost an hour); remembering to use sunblock along the way; not getting lost and/or not falling over (done both a few times….?); feeling remarkably well two days after finishing. 


Surprising-lights: dodgy hip not giving me any trouble as expected; knees deciding to take its place;  so many friends turning up and running a leg or two with me; the weather staying nice all day; my daughter being out of bed and at one of the crew points before 1pm. 


Low lights: 26-31km.  What on earth happened there…? Flat battery for sure;  misjudging distance and having to clock up the full 50 by doing a few extra bits on the final stretch of beach on soft sand, competing with 4x4s and a headwind; a dead something on the beach stinking out the entire area - man that was a carcass-and-a-half; saying farewell to a toenail that had just grown back after another event a year ago *sigh*.


So that’s it! 


And the takeaway from all this - people ARE kind and generous, you can achieve more than you think and the fears that get to you time and again…. they often just don’t materialise.  


Thanks all, here’s to a wonderful Christmas to you and the important people in your lives. May this season be especially peaceful.  Blessings and love xxx 






Those words you didn’t want to hear… Event Cancelled!

And there I was getting hopeful last week that I might be running in a throng of happy people.  Not this time.

I will NOT run in Taupo.  It’s in a Red zone (NZs new traffic light system) and if heaps of people turn up to do an unofficial fun run as I was planning we can’t set off.  

As we are offered a virtual event I’ll do that instead and register it with the organisers so everything is official.  It will be around Wellington and I’m hoping to gather a few friends to join me for the full 50 or part of it.  

I’ll be sure to get on that 1-2-3 podium after all for a photo, so watch this space! 

And thanks for the recent outpouring of sponsorship! The event may have been cancelled but your generosity certainly hasn’t ground to a halt. 

Not long now

It looks like we are going ahead with the event on the 18th Dec. Good old Aucklanders are being let out and we’ve got a new Traffic light system an’ all ready to go here in NZ. 

I’m excited and relieved. Excited because I actually think I’m ready to smoke this event (can you tell I’ve been reading my book on ultra marathon psychology?!) and relieved because there will actually be a marked course that I can go on and I won’t have to rely on my very VERY poor sense of direction (I was planning on going out alone and doing it). (With a pit stop at 25km - huge thanks Adam for offering to do half way hoorays).

I have been on this training program for what seems like an age. (About 9 months perhaps?) I should theoretically be able to run across a small continent. 

So just realising how much respect I have for Olympic athletes on their training journey for 4 years… HUGE! 

If you’re still deciding about sponsorship that’s honestly ok. If you decide to give, thank you. It WILL  make a significant difference to someone caught up in trafficking. 

Well, we did half an event - recce and testing the terrain

The event postponed till Dec, we decided to go up to Taupo anyway for a break and enjoy a bit of RnR.  And walk the second half of the 50km course.  It was stunning and perfect weather.  Should have done the whole thing really…! Excellent “date” with my dear husband, Adam, and i didn’t run out of things to talk about either! He just listened to me all the way.  Another exciting thing was literally bumping into 3 other Wellington running buddies also doing some or all I’d the course that day.  I think we all had the same idea… get out while we can… 

Sadly other family couldn’t join us, they preferred the Lockdown Prison that is Auckland.  Honestly? We were devastate they couldn’t be with us to enjoy the stunning house and location. 

The new official date for the event is 18 Dec, so *only* 8 (more) weeks to go.  And hopefully the niggles and injuries won’t get worse. Ho hum… as long as the eyeball doesn’t drop its vitreal bits again, I think all will be ok.  

Otherwise all well and living the dream. 

Postponed event!

Hi everyone 
Once again a big thanks to those who have sponsored me, including one person I don’t even know! Wow, now THAT’S amazing….

About 2 weeks ago we were told that the ultra event has been postponed to Dec 18. That allows an additional 10 weeks of training time (yay! or boo! - depends on how you view things!).  I was excited when I first heard, but then reality woke me up.

I should have told everyone about the postponement but didn’t for good reasons- an office move, another lockdown, shiny new foot injury (still have no idea what it is and if I’m going to damage things more if I carry on training which is more walking than running)… and I’m sure a few more “life happenings”.  However! I’m committed to this and will get there (somewhere) in the end.

We are going to go to Taupo this weekend for the scheduled break - but we’re hanging on by the skin of our teeth with all the rampant COVID-border busters going rogue and scaring us witless about another possible lockdown.

In Taupo, Adam and I may even go on a recce of the last 25 km of the course to prep for the 18 Dec..  Is that cheating? Or smart? 

So once again, thanks for your support.  Will keep in better comms in the next few weeks. 
Hope you are all well of course!

13 Sept update

All going well! Last big training run coming up this weekend and I’m so ready for this event…  a few niggles but not long to go.  Not sure what I’m more excited about - the event itself or the training being done and dusted! Thanks for the sponsorship too.  How amazingly generous people are.  

Join me on a 50km challenge...



Update: 9 Sept 
Huge thanks for those who have already sponsored me and sent me encouraging messages.   Here's the original site below with a new link to the Tearfund main page on trafficking.

***   ***  ***   ***   ***   ***   *** etc

Hello family and friends! 

On October 16th I'll be taking on my biggest running challenge to date. It started three to four years ago with a few fun runs, then a few bigger events and a couple of marathons. Now the upcoming Taupo 50km ultra in a beautiful location with friends is next. What more could I want?

Well, actually, your sponsorship. Please. For a not so widely discussed topic - that of human trafficking, including women and young girls.

I believe every child has the right to a healthy childhood. But the sex trade and trafficking changes that for millions every year. And the trafficking is on the increase, worldwide. Your donation will support Tearfund to go into known situations and work hard towards the conviction and incarceration of  those running the trade.  Imagine it in any form - slave labour to child prostitution. Trafficking exists and is alive and well. 

PLEASE join in the campaign to raise awareness and reduce the trafficking. PLEASE help Tearfund do all the hard stuff that we don't know how to do. PLEASE make a financial contribution to their cause.  And I'll run the 50km knowing there is a greater purpose for all the effort and fatigue. (And hopefully a bit of fun as well.)

I'll be posting a few updates between now and October, but in the meantime, thank you for making a donation and know that WHATEVER you can give WILL make a difference to those who need it. If you want to find out more about this cause have a look here

 https://www.tearfund.org.nz/Our-Work/Anti-Trafficking-Exploitation.aspx

Thank YOU for your support. For more info on the Taupo Ultra visit this website: https://www.taupoultra.co.nz/

P.S: If the event is cancelled due to Covid I'll do 50kms around Wellington instead - promise!

Please Support My Cause

Raised

$2,009

Select amount to donate

$20
Helps to rehabilitate survivors and reintegrate them back into their chosen communities
$50
Helps to remove people from exploitative situations
$80
Helps to prosecute traffickers
$120
Helps to provide legal support and aftercare for trafficked people and exploited workers
$10

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Thank you to my Sponsors

$500

Anonymous

??????

$156

Adam M

Go for it Babe! No bigger supporter or fan of you than me! I know better than most of what you are capable of! No need to wish you luck because I know that you’ll do it regardless! Damsk xxx

$124.80

Lauren Gorvett

Will be cheering you on from the wings.

$104

Rob Killick

Go You Good Thing!!!! So proud of you and well done! (You do know you are my Bestest Sister?!)

$104

Tina Vrettos

You go girl! I love your spirit.

$83.20

Kate & Andrew Hg

You go girl!

$80

Sarah Spencer

Wishing you all the best Yvette and know you are well qualified for this challenge. Godspeed and Good Luck to you!

$52

Kenneth Killick

Good luck Yvette - sorry it can't be more but Nita is hospitalised at present with medical costs to meet.

$52

Deborah Wrigley

Good luck Yvette, we will be supporting you all the way. Great cause. Debby and Charles

$52

Rudi Van Der Velden

All the best with your run Yvette and a very worthy cause. Cheers Rudi and Andrea

$52

Sally Capilitan

Good luck you will nail this as you always do xx

$52

Cheryl Siqueiros

$52

Sloane Bayley

You can do this- even at a later date! Great to see you reaching for these amazing goals, inspiring others on the way. Takes me back to Motatapu!

$52

Unni Buschmann-brown

Darling Vetska, you go girl, and keep on being you! Love you BIG!

$52

Simon Chamberlain

$52

Sean Wrigley

Amazing work Aunty Yvette. So excited for your race and incredibly proud of why you're doing it.

$52

Natalie Snaddon

What a journey…praying you get to do something with all that training!! Xx

$50

Sean Lynch

Good luck Yvette!

$50

James Dowle

Go for it, Yvette

$50

Tanya Shepherd

Happy to support both you and an amazing organisation :)

$31.20

Doris

Well done, Yvette!!!!

$20.80

Maureen Lamb

Good on you Yvette - I admire your persevering spirit and dogged determination!

$20.80

Hayley

$20.80

Sandra L Gale

Good Luck!

$20.80

Marilena & Alexa

Hope you have a great experience “smokin’ ’” this Ultra Yvette! Amazing endeavour. Much love from us.

$20.80

Dawn Kelly

$20.80

Heidi Cavaye

Well done Yvette!

$10.40

Anonymous

?‍♀️?‍♀️?‍♀️?‍♀️

$10.40

Heather Tehuia

you go girl

$5.20

Abby Ruffell

$5

Aria Fuller