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TOUGHING IT OUT Aucklander Tim Haslop, who has type 1 diabetes, entered the ASB Auckland Marathon and hated almost every minute of the run. But he raised mlore than $2,500 for diabetes and says the wider experience was among the best of his life. Above: Sheena Duffy Vakatale, Diabetes NZ Auckland Branch Manager, presents Tim with a fitbit. Along with Chris Hanna, Tim was Diabetes NZ's top fundraiser in this marathon.
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DIABETES WELLNESS | Autumn 2021
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im Haslop had always been more of a sprinter, playing sports that involved short bursts of intense speed, such as tennis and football. That was until Auckland’s second lockdown. Tim says, “I couldn’t go to the gym or play sport, so I started going on long runs just to do some exercise and de-stress. “I wasn’t enjoying them. I was still thinking, ‘this is hell.’” But he liked how he felt afterwards. So much so that he set his sights on running a marathon. “And then I thought I may as well commit and use it for something good, rather than just do it for myself.” He knew exactly what charity he wanted to fundraise for. At the
start of 2020, he’d volunteered on a Diabetes Auckland Youth Camp, and loved it. “Diabetes NZ’s the only charity where I actually have skin in the game, and I want there to be those camps. It’s a cause I really think is awesome.” BECOMING A VOLUNTEER
Tim had been on a short break between study and full-time work when he heard Diabetes Auckland Youth was calling for camp volunteers. He liked kids, and he’d enjoyed coaching tennis in the past. He also vividly remembered being a newly diagnosed 13 year old himself. “My confidence took a massive hit, without my even realising it at the
