Born to Adapt NZ
Join us for Born to Adapt New Zealand, presented by On Right to Run, Friday and Saturday February 9 and 10! This unique FREE 2 day, community trail running event welcomes disabled and non disabled athletes of all abilities to get out on Rotorua’s beautiful redwood trails. Whether you are a seasoned athlete or giving trails a try for the first time, this event is for you. From running blades to wheelchairs to hand crutches and beyond - all adaptive athletes are welcome!
Friday, February 9 - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Join professional trail runner and disability advocate Zachary Friedley, Born to Run Coach Eric Orton, and 2 time Leadville 100 race winner Adrian Macdonald for an inclusive, focused running clinic. In this clinic, you’ll learn from Zachary and Eric how to maximize your mobility as a runner. All ages, experience levels and mobility devices are welcome - no experience is necessary. (Kids under 16 do need to be accompanied by an adult). Plan to have a great time learning new skills and getting to know new people. Lunch and snacks will be provided.
Saturday, February 10 - 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.: Race day! Sign up for the first ever adaptive trail race through the Redwoods of Rotorua! Saturday’s course includes a wheelchair accessible loop, a 5k loop, and multiple options for shorter distance runs and ability levels. Join Zachary, Eric, and special guest Adrian Macdonald, two time Leadville 100 winner and On Trail teammate, for a race day unlike any other. After the race, stick around for the race day after party hosted by On Running.
Registration is FREE though space is limited at 100 people. So register ASAP. To learn more about the Born to Adapt project visit www.borntoadapt.org or follow us on Instagram @zachary_movement @borntoadapt
For more questions email zfriedley@gmail.com or Matthew Bryson +64212720666
About Born to Adapt
About Born to Adapt
Born to Adapt is a project of the Mendocino Movement Project, a registered 501c3 nonprofit charity based in the United States and founded by trail runner Zachary Friedley. Our mission is to expand societal awareness around disabilities and to foster spaces where everyone can have access to the transformative power of movement, community, and the great outdoors. Since 2021, Born to Adapt has been hosting adaptive trail events in the United States, welcoming newcomers to the trails each year. We are honored to bring this movement to New Zealand and can’t wait to create a new adaptive experience in Rotorua.
Who is Born to Adapt NZ
Zachary Friedley is best known for his visibility as one of the only professional, above-knee blade runners (“trail bladers”) in the world. Zachary currently races as part of the On Trail Team, participating internationally in ultra and sub-ultra races including UTMB MCC, UTMB Tarawera 21k, UTMB Val D'Ran SkyRace ,Lake Sonoma 50 .Zachary, who was born missing his right leg above the knee as well as fingers on his right hand, had always been interested in sports. As a kid, he wrestled competitively and even tried his hand at football and baseball in his youth. As he grew older, he found his true passion in trail running - not just because of the athletics and the competition, but because being out on the trails and experiencing nature first hand was an experience that for many years he considered out of reach to someone “like him”. Zachary’s dream is that everyone, regardless of their ability level, can experience the joy and freedom of being on a trail. He created Born to Adapt to welcome all runners, of all disabilities - with all kinds of mobility devices from blades to crutches to wheelchairs and beyond - to the world of trail running, in whatever form that means for them. Zachary will be bringing the Born to Adapt event to New Zealand in early 2024. When he is not running races around the world, Zachary resides in the United States where he trains in the redwood forests of the California coast.
Adrian Macdonald has been trail running since 2016. In his first attempt at the 100-mile distance, he won the 2021 Leadville Trail 100 (Colorado, United States) in the fifth fastest time in event history. He has since won Leadville a second time as well as the inaugural Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko Miler. He is in New Zealand to compete in the 2024 Tarawera Miler. Adrian, along with Zachary, is also a sponsored athlete with the On Trail Team. When he's not training or racing, Adrian likes to give back to the running community by volunteering on the board of the Fort Collins Running Club and coaching high school cross country. Adrian lives and trains in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado in the United States.
Eric Orton is best known for his experience documented in the New York Times best selling book Born to Run. He is also the co-author of Born to Run 2: The Ultimate Training Guide, released in 2022. Eric has spent a lifetime exploring human potential and the limitless possibilities of the body and mind. As a performance wizard and world-renowned running coach, Eric performs online coaching and consulting for both age group and elite runners. Eric was part of a handful of coaches who pioneered the online coaching industry and has operated his run coaching business for the last 25 years helping Olympians, professional, and age group athletes. His study of ancestral cultures, like Mexico’s legendary Rarámuri ultrarunners, has made him one of the foremost authorities on running, evolutionary biomechanics, and human performance; and the go-to coach for athletes everywhere. Eric earned international notoriety as the coach of Christopher McDougall, a relationship that served as the foundation for McDougall's worldwide best selling book, Born To Run and Running With Sherman. Together, McDougall and Orton created the “Free Seven,” the unique approach to running at the heart of their latest best selling book, Born to Run 2: the Ultimate Training Guide. Eric’s best selling book, The Cool Impossible, has been published in 7 languages and in 15 countries to date, and teaches strategies for dreaming beyond fear and living beyond limits. He is the former Director of Fitness at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Event's current local time: 5:40 PM NZT
