6 minute read
THE LOST Hobbit 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.
“These characters that no one ever assumes anything of always seem to be the most integral part of the story, and I always really liked that…like an underdog,” he says.
It seems particularly apt then that he is running the length of New Zealand, finishing with Mt Doom.
In spite of not having run an ultra before, Alex is confident on completing his mission.
“Because I haven’t done much ultra running, I have to fight those voices in my head that say I can’t do this or I’m not the type of person to do it, so learning to ignore them and shove them to back of my head and just remember to keep putting one foot in front of the other is crucial,” he explains.
“It’s definitely been a challenge, especially on days when it’s really muddy or I haven’t covered as much ground as I intended.”
Alex has worked with a coach to get him to the point where this run is even possible.
“As long as you have had enough time to train, are healthy and create a running schedule, I believe anyone can do it,” he says.
“The big thing is to progressively train, building up more and more kilometres as you go. This is key to being prepared physically. The human body is designed to be able to get used to it given that you have spent a good amount of time training and preparing your body.”
No adventure can be undertaken alone though, and this one is no different with Alex being able to do it all with the help of his dad, Andrew Bezzina, right by his side.
“He’s my support crew,” Alex proudly states.
“He does everything: cooks all my food, makes sure I’m stocked with snacks so I always have something in my hand to eat, washes my clothes, drives around, and meets me at places.
When I’m really struggling, he’ll usually walk a kilometre or two with me to help get through the end of the run.
“He’s incredible, so I’m lucky to have him with me.”
There’s a bit of a routine that Alex has started to get the day going, which includes waking up early, showering and eating, then getting dropped off on the trail at the exact spot he finished at the day before.
He’ll warm up for the first kilometre or so with a brisk walk, and to get into the right headspace, before setting off on a run.
“About 15km or so, I take a 5 to 10 minute break to eat, drink water, take in the surroundings,” he says.
“I listen to podcasts and audiobooks; I actually just finished the Lord of the Rings trilogy audiobooks so that’s been fantastic to listen to. If I’m in a town or anywhere with shops and cafes and people, I can meet up with dad to have lunch. Otherwise if I’m in the mountains I’ll just eat something he’s packed for me and keep going.”
Not only is Alex experiencing long runs daily for the first time, he also has some other new experiences.
“Losing toenails is another thing I’ve learnt that can happen, so my dad has been helping me with that, taping it down so it doesn’t get worse – he’s a doctor,” he explains.
“I also have to remember to stretch every day after running otherwise I can feel like an old man when I go to bed, and when I get up the next day.”
Although Alex is finding the daily kilometres hard work and tough on the body, an Adventure Time quote has come in handy to help him – the first step to being good at something is sucking at something.
It seems that he’s moving very fast from sucking at trail running to excelling, and Alex feels the support he’s received has helped a lot in this progression.
“I think support is a big one for me; my dad’s presence helps me a lot,” he says.
“When I’m feeling low or thinking to myself that I can’t do it, having somebody to remind me I can or knowing that I have a big support network helps me. Even receiving a message from someone or reading comments on social media, it truly helps.
“Being stubborn is also a good one, which is a Bezzina trait!”
Throughout this great adventure, Alex has not forgotten his purpose though.
“The great thing about conservation is that if you can protect one species’ habitat, you then protect multiple species’ habitats so even if you’re focusing on one species, others benefit as well, which is amazing,” he recalls.
“When I’m out running, there are so many birds which is wonderful to see: forest birds, sea birds, so many varieties. When you get away from the main roads, you’d be surprised how much wildlife you see and hear.”
In the famous words of Bilbo Baggins, ‘Not all who wander are lost’. Alex the Lost Hobbit is finding this as he follows the trails, discovering that as long as you run enough steps and follow enough trails, then you can travel further and influence the world more than you may ever have previously imagined.
Although Alex’s journey across ‘Middle Earth’ has ended since TRM47 went to print, you can still support his cause by heading to thelosthobbit.run for more information and to donate funds to Forest and Bird.
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