Mangere Bridge Fun Run Sep 24, ’23 | My Running Escapade in Southern Hemisphere

Mangere Bridge 10 Kms Run 2023

It was my 3rd week in Auckland, New Zealand. Right from the city sightings and the mesmerizing nature here in NewZealand (Aotearoa); everything had just been a dream. However, if there was one thing that was really bugging me up was that I had not been running.

When I was in Gurgaon, I used to run almost daily without a fail. Running to me, had become coffee! And as they say — “Coffee Isn’t Just A Source Of Pleasure For Me: It Is Something I Rely On To Get Me Through The Day!”

So, back to my narrative — I decided one day while in Auckland, that I need to get my running gear on. I might have anyway started becoming lazy and feeling depressed if not got myself active.

Thanks to a news that I saw on Google, where I read that there was going to be a Mangere Bridge Fun Run, near Mangere Bridge (a residential suburb in Auckland, known for outdoor activities). There were 5, 10 & 21 kms runs that one could participate in. I wondered what would be the best option for me. 5kms would have been too less a distance, as I also really wanted to enjoy the clean air pumping through my lungs and to feel the adventure of rushing through the thin air of Southern Hemisphere (and come on, NZ is one of the most pollution free countries in the world; why miss the sojourn). Then I thought about 21 kms, and felt it might be too much on my body, as the circuit wasn’t very familiar and I might have ended up injuring myself.

So, 10 kms it was then! I registered for it, paying 30 NZD. (It wasn’t actually that pricey as I had thought, it would be :p) And an hour later probably, I also booked an Uber well in advance to pick me up at 06 AM in the morning, since the reporting was at 07 AM for the 10 kms runners. Oh boy! We’ll talk about a little later, how difficult it was to roam around the bridge that day, in my running shorts since I reached quite earlier before the run started, and it was extremely windy and the authorities had already warned about the current and strong winds, suspecting thunderstorms too).

Nevertheless, it did drizzle for a bit, but did not really have rain showers per se. And gladly nothing after the run started.

Alright then!

Let’s relive the day of Mangere Bridge 10kms run, dated Sep 24, 2023!

Sep 24, 2023–04 AM | Waking up

Woke up at 04 AM in the morning by alarm. I could feel the excitement already building up. It was though quite cold, however, I was too excited to be affected by it, and just in time got ready to board my cab at 06 AM.

Mr. Tuasivi was there to pick me up. Here’s the picture below that I took in the cab. It is quite blurred, but just shows how dark it was. We completed the journey in exact 29 minutes. We started at 06:03 AM and reached at 06:32 AM. What I did not really expect was that I’d have to pay a fare of 80 NZD (that is roughly 4000 INR, boy). Now, I am not apologetic of that Indian instinct of converting every amount into Indian Rupees.

Early morning cab at 04 AM

Sep 24, 2023–06:40 AM | Arrival at Mangere Bridge — Naomi and Bill Kirk Park, to see that no one’s reached yet

This was the funniest and the spookiest part. I reached the starting point at around 06:35 AM, just to see that even the organizers had not reached by then. Now imagine a guy, with just a phone and wallet by himself, with no bag to put those in; roaming around the Naomi and Bill Kirk Park, in the shortest running shorts possible and with temperature dropping to 13 degrees Celsius and winds blowing as hard as they could. And, I was also starving to death as I did not have anything to eat before starting from home. All that I wished for, at that moment was to find some coffee shop open, nearby, where I could have a sip of hot coffee, and mainly seek some shelter and get a bit warm.

And God is Great! There was luckily a shop open which is run by possibly a group of South / East Asian folks. And what a lovely family did I meet there. The shop goes by the name “RUBY RED”. I still remember there was a very cute kid, who was running here and there in the shop, and his parents / siblings, requesting him to slow down before he hurts himself. But the little one didn’t stop. The cutest part was when he came running to me and asked me if I was going to run (since he saw me adjusting my running band on the waist) and said that he could run faster than me and that he is the fastest in his class.

I said — “Of course, you can beat me”. And he felt so happy about it. #atrueawwmoment

You can see a big board where Ruby Red would be written. And that’s the shop am talking about. Later, I saw that when the sun came out post our run, that a lot of people come there to enjoy sandwiches and coffee.

Ruby Red Coffee Shop

Coffee + Egg & Cheese Sandwich

Sep 24, 2023–08:00 AM | Some fun activities

There was some young local kids who had organised a few fun activities / challenges, and were giving away rugby balls to all the winners who could complete the challenge.

I guess that it is quite explicit that my first attempt failed, which got me trying again. :p

Fun Activities in Mangere Bridge Fun Run

Sep 24, 2023–08:45 AM | The briefing for 10 kms run

The most interesting part about the briefing was this gentleman who was actually quite funny. Between every two sentences, he had a joke to crack. I once read that Kiwi humor is quite a thing!! Well, probably that is why they called it a Mangere Bridge Fun Run.

I met a couple of locals from there too, who had participated in the run too. They were all so gregarious and some of them even did check on me, if I was all ok since they saw me there for the 1st time. They were really curious to know where I am from, and when I told them that I am from India, they looked quite excited about it :) I am assuming they must have been participating every year. Really good folks!!

Sep 24, 2023–09:00 AM | The 10 kms run flag-off

The nice thing is that a gentleman called Richard Goulstone, actually captured the flag-off on his phone. If you can spot me out there in the group, please leave a comment. :p :)

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The circuit along which we ran, was quite elevated at intervals. The Mangere Bridge also known as the Manukau Harbour Crossing, is a dual motorway bridge over the Manukao Harbour in the south-western Auckland. The landscape around the bridge is extremely fascinating and mind-blowing, so much so that you’d want to take out your camera and capture every bit of it. However, since I couldn’t manage to take out my phone while running, as I obviously didn’t want to slow down; I unfortunately do not have much to share with you all for the landscape.

However, I have a few really fun and special pictures from that day, that I have shared below. I hope you all like it :-

The mid-run click by a professional photographer

I am not quite sure when would this have been clicked. I mean at what distance, and where was I exactly at that moment. The only thing I fairly remember is that I had put my cap reverse on my way back from the u-turn point (marking the completion of 5kms). So this got to be in the 2nd half of the run, probably.

A picture taken during the run

Few post-run pictures

Yea, before I forget to mention. I met this really kind man from Philippines. He was a bit mawkish while actually derisively telling me that he doesn’t run that much; however he probably finished first as much as I remember. Truly, a humble and fun guy.

On the left is a selfie that we took, just after we finished our run and I had gone to collect my rugby ball that I won in a contest. On the right is a straight-up pose by me holding the same rugby ball.

An 80 years old running miracle

After I had finished my run, I was casually resting around the finish line, when I saw an old Sikh uncle completing his 21 kms run, and guess what; he looked very majestic and dream-like. I just couldn’t resist the temptation to get clicked with him and I rushed to his son who was more than happy to click a picture of mine with his father.

The Results Time