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On Friday night last week Achilles NZ had their Annual Awards Dinner. We were very honoured to be there to meet these amazing athletes and hear their inspirational stories. The ambassadors who support and are guides for some of the athletes all expressed that in giving their time they received so much more back.
One particular award winner came to our attention, Jaxon Woolley, who is a junior parkrunner from Millwater, but has run at Cornwall Park, Western Springs, Barry Curtis and Lower Hutt! Jaxon has also volunteered as a Run Report writer. It was great to eventually meet Jaxon and wonderful to congratulate him on his ‘Male Athlete of the Year’ award! Shaz Dagg (a para-triathlete) received Female Athlete of the Year, much to Jaxon’s delight as she has been a wonderful friend and mentor to him.
The Ambassador of the Year was journalist and writer Rachel Grunwell and Volunteer of the year, Thomas Tuki from the Rotorua Chapter of Achilles NZ, but as Jaxon reminds us we mustn’t forget all the athletes and guides who put in so much work to make Achilles NZ possible. It truly is a wonderful family to be a part of.
Jaxon suffers with Polymicrogyria, but with his mother, Tash, and his family at his side this condition does not define him.
Tash, his equally inspiring mother, wrote the following:
“Couldn’t be prouder! My boy has so many challenges and with a lot of support and encouragement he achieves amazing things!! I always thought my kids would be learning things from me, but it’s quite the opposite with Jax, I’m constantly learning new things from him. Life lessons, compassion, patience, acceptance the list could go on forever. Jax has made me who I am and I need to thank him over and over for that. So much admiration for my main man. Thank you Jax for choosing me to be your mumma xxx”
You can read more about Jaxon’s journey with Polymicrogyria here:
https://www.facebook.com/jaxonspmg/
Global Running Day is a worldwide celebration of the transformative power of running. On this special day, runners of all levels, from beginners to seasoned athletes, connect to embrace the joy and benefits of running. It’s an opportunity to celebrate your personal running journey, set new goals, and foster a sense of friendship with fellow…
All around the world, we’ve seen more than 28,000 different people volunteer in the parkwalker role and together, they’ve parkwalked more than 52,000 times! We speak to one of the parkwalkers, Cathy Hannon, about why she chooses to volunteer in her favourite role every Saturday morning. Cathy’s chronic condition means that parkwalking is the…
