ISSUE 47 | TRAILRUNMAG.COM
Hobbit THE LOST
OF NEW ZEALAND
STARTING ON 1 FEBRUARY, 2023 ALEX ‘THE LOST HOBBIT’ BEZZINA TOOK OFF FROM STIRLING POINT, BLUFF, NEW ZEALAND FOR AN ADVENTURE THAT WOULD SEE HIM RUN THE LENGTH OF THE COUNTRY NORTHBOUND TO RAISE FUNDS FOR THREATENED WILDLIFE. ISOBEL ROSS MANAGED TO CATCH UP WITH HIM WHILST HE WAS OUT RUNNING THROUGH THE CANTERBURY REGION, WHERE HE SAID HE WAS AIMING TO FINISH HIS 3000KM JOURNEY BY APRIL. WORDS: ISOBEL ROSS IMAGES: CONNOR SHEIDLER
Gasping and wheezing, 26-year-old Alex Bezzina of Milton, Queensland stopped running and wondered why he was bothering.
Disheartened, he gave up on his fledgling running career. Then Covid reared its ugly head in 2020 and in a desperation borne from boredom and frustration, Alex tried running again. And what do you know, it had changed! No longer did he hate the sport, he actually found it meditative, almost fun. In fact, Alex has equated his early foray into trail running to gaming as he leapt over obstacles and bombed the downhills, saying at one point in our interview that
‘running around trails sort of felt like playing Mario Kart but with your body.’ We all know how addictive trail running is, and for Alex it’s been no different. So much so in fact, that he is now running the length of New Zealand (north bound). This equates to more than 3000kms, or about 50kms a day – a bit of a step up from 10km stints around Brisbane. Before this trail venture, Alex had never attempted ultra running. A steep learning curve indeed, but one with a great purpose. New Zealand has the fifth highest proportion of globally threatened bird species in the world (29% threatened with
extinction), with 20 of the confirmed 187 bird extinctions since 1500 occurring there. Alex was hoping to raise $10 for every kilometre he runs to promote awareness for threatened wildlife, specifically birds – that’s a goal of $30,000 for Forest & Bird, an independent conservation organisation that works to protect New Zealand’s wildlife. For this particular journey, Alex adopted the trail name The Lost Hobbit. He’s a big Lord of the Rings fan and once heard a friend mention that he reminded her of a hobbit with his curly hair, hair feet and short stature.
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