Runner to Tackle Auckland Marathon Blindfolded

Next Sunday, 28-year-old Justin Weston from Mount Maunganui will line up for his first ever marathon. To add to the challenge, Justin will run the entire 42.2 kilometres blindfolded.

Justin, guided by his good friend Pita Tupou, will tackle the Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Marathon presented by ASICS fully blindfolded to raise awareness for mental health and vital funds for the Mental Health Foundation NZ – with an ambitious target of $25,000.

For Justin, the symbolism behind the blindfold marathon is a journey from dark to light.

“Although life may seem dark, and the journey daunting, with a little help from the ones around us and holding onto the faith that if we just keep moving forward, everything will eventually be alright,” said Justin. “I truly believe our life is already mapped out for us, all it takes is to keep putting one foot in front of another until inevitably we reach the light at the end of the tunnel.”

This challenge is deeply personal for Justin, who has suffered from anxiety and depression most of his life.

One of Justin’s biggest worries in life was the feeling that he was meant for something great, but not knowing what that something was. There was a void, a disconnect between where he was in life and where he knew he wanted to be.

After dropping out of university, Justin spent six years as a builder hoping he’d found his calling, but eventually realised that wasn’t fulfilling him either.

“I thought I had found my passion, my purpose, and I was super excited. And then six years went on and last year it hit me that this isn’t what I wanted. I thought, ‘you’re kidding, I'm 27 years old now, you're not going to tell I have to restart again’. That thought ate away at me,” he said.

Justin turned to alcohol and drugs to fill the void, seeking instant gratification. This went on for months until one night he reached breaking point, and the next day told his boss he would be leaving work next year and, in that moment, signed up for a Personal Trainer qualification course – something he had always wanted to do.

Justin says he always knew he wanted to do something that would help people but was too scared to take the leap of faith, fearing the unknown. But after signing up the course, instead of reeling from the feeling of discomfort, he found a sense of relief.

Since then, he’s learned to enjoy the reward in the feeling of discomfort, of feeling the fear and overcoming it anyway. He now runs a business as a qualified Personal Trainer, is married and eight months sober.

Running has also played a significant role in Justin’s mental wellbeing. What started as a way to exercise outdoors has turned into a form of therapy.

“I started being able to hash out a lot of my thoughts through running in the most positive way, I feel like you get positive endorphins when you run. Whereas when I used to try to hash out my thoughts by staring at the ceiling while I was in bed, it was always a negative take, and I would always come to a negative result. But when you're running, you always have a positive perspective on what you're thinking about, so it became my meditation and my therapy,” he said.

Realising how much he was enjoying and benefitting from the running, Justin started running more, and further. Driven by his journey and wanting to help others who might be experiencing the same feelings as him, Justin set his mind on completing a marathon – blindfolded, supported by a guide.

“The blindfold solidifies my whole journey. It was so dark and unknown, and I fear the future so much. But at the end of the day, it was all good. I just had to have faith and talk to the people around me, which essentially is the guide, and have faith that they're going to help me through and get me to the end,” said Justin.

“And that's the symbolism of it, right? We put a blindfold on, we don't know where we're going. We have to listen to instructions and have to have faith that it's all going to be all right. It's takes time, it's not a quick journey and we might face some adversity on the way, but at the end of the day, I am going to cross that finishing line, and I will take the blindfold off and see the light. So that's the symbolism of mental health for me.”

Justin is using his journey to the Auckland Marathon finish line to fundraise for the Mental Health Foundation NZ, with the goal of $25,000.

“This is something I'm so passionate about, especially if I raise some good funds and can really help with some exposure,” said Justin. “It's a bit of a daunting run, but for me, it's one day. Whatever happens, I wake up the next day, the sun's still shining. So, we're going to get to that finish line no matter what.”

To support Justin’s journey and donate to the Mental Health Foundation NZ visit aucklandmarathon2024.grassrootz.com/mhfnz/justin-weston