Taranaki’s new running event for man’s (and woman’s) best friends

A Taranaki vet nurse who loves to run has organised a race for dogs to take part in with their people.

Nicky Smith has organised Running with Paws, a race over farmland in New Plymouth on October 15.

“As well as loving running, I’m a vet nurse, and I decided to bring the running and walking and animals together – two of my passions,” Smith said.

Running events that include animals are popular overseas, though less so in New Zealand, and she’s hoping to change that.

Smith, who has been organising the Cape Egmont Half Marathon for the past six years, hopes having their dog as a running buddy will attract people who haven’t been game to try a running/walking event before.

“Through Covid, I had to change the Cape Egmont to a virtual event, and I found quite a few people were apprehensive about rocking up and putting their bib on … so I wondered if they’d be more confident if they brought their dog along,” she said.

Smith had fun dreaming up the names for the three distances – the 2.5km doggy dash, a 5km canine classic and a 10km paw pounder.

“My motto is run with a heartbeat at your feet. People can rock up without a dog, but quite a few people have said they don’t have a dog, but maybe they’ll borrow one,” she said.

The event is entirely off-road on a Smart Rd farm. The humans can run or walk, and every person and every dog will get a medal.

“I’m really looking forward to people being able to experience an event that normally they wouldn’t, and if people like it, it can become a yearly thing,” she said.

And the event will raise money for Gabby’s Starlit Hope, a charity started by Gabby Devine when she was 13.

Gabby died of the bone cancer Ewing’s Sarcoma in May 2015, but during her time in and out of hospital she created a charity, Starlit Hope, which does random acts of kindness and donates play parcels, the mental health boxes to children in hospital.

For information visit: runningwithpaws.com