Tonga Marathon for TAWS
Donation protected
ONE £ FOR EVERY ONE METER I RUN
45 KM COAST TO COAST TONGA MARATHON PLUS
Stuck in Tonga for over half a year after coming here for a weekend, it's been an up and down journey.
A journey that both dogs and running have been a big part of.
I want to give something back to this country, and for a charity that so needs it.
I'll be running from one end of Tonga to the other, a full marathon, to raise money for Tonga Animal Welfare Society. Actually, it's a marathon, plus some extra KMs as I take on the entire island of Tonga, from one coast to the other. And I'm pretty certain I'm the first and only person to do this.
TAWS was established only shortly after I arrived in Tonga. They are the only animal charity in Tonga, and they're Tonga's only official body caring for the (really big) population of dogs here. There are NO vets in Tonga, and no other animal charity. But there are lots of dogs.
MARATHON DATE: 17th October | 5:30 am
MONEY ISSUES:
- Due to Tonga being... Tonga, it has some issues receiving money from abroad. And by some issues, I mean that it can't really - in this circumstance, at least. It's a long and boring story but if you can accept ..."Tonga" as an excuse, then rest assured. ALL of the money that comes to me through here will go to TAWS (Tonga Animal Welfare Society). It's just that I can't link it on this platform.
- Donations in Chinese RMB also OK - contact me!
-------------------------
My Running Journey
Since I arrived in the Pacific at the start of February, I started to make the most of the clean air, beaches, and early mornings by going for jogs.
I started taking it a bit more seriously after a couple of months - but what held up for a while when cyclone Harold washed away my running shoes and I couldn't find any trainers in Tonga for a good few weeks. (IF I saw any, they were about 5 sizes too big!).
I found something that would pass as trainers, and I've been running with them ever since. Quite literally running them to the ground as they now have gaping holes in them.
My first 10k went to my first 10-mile run, then my first half-marathon.
Now I'm going to run a full marathon, from one end of Tonga right to the other end, finishing at Tonga's most famous monument - the Ha'amonga.
More on TAWS...
Tonga Animal Welfare Society, known as TAWS, was established in 2020 by a group of animal-loving residents to Tonga.
TAWS want to unite, educate and support the community and will endeavour to find a vet to come and live and work on the island, helping us to keep all animals - dogs, cats, pigs, goats, sheep, horses, bats, ducks, geese and cattle, healthy and safe from illness and pain.
There is no qualified vet in the whole of Tonga. Abroad volunteers from SPAW abroad usually come to Tonga to run one week clinics about 4 times a year, but due to COVID there’s been no SPAW in 2020, and it's unclear when their help will be back.
TAWS provides medication, food, and all-important education on the treatment of dogs in Tonga - a country that uses dogs for meat regularly.
Society No. 814
For more information, please see their website TAWS Tonga
WHAT CAN MY DONATION DO
TAWS is a very new charity and in need of funding for various projects.
Your donation can make a MASSIVE difference. (Seriously).
" We're really seeing a change in behaviour towards animals (in particular dogs). Just since I’ve been here banging on about dog care and rescue, things have changed." - Angela, TAWS
- Dog Collars
Just a few dollars can buy a collar for a dog. Collared dogs are much less likely to get stolen and... eaten.
- Medication
Medication is distributed for free to families that need it on a donation basis, including worming tablets and de-flea medication. Medication must now be bought from overseas as current supplies have run out in Tonga.
- Dog Food Distributions
To families that may not be able to afford to feed their dog army.
- Fees fees fees...
Admin fees, broker fees, handling fees... All of that necessary but boring stuff.
- Education Project
TAWS hopes to go into schools to teach the Tongan people how to correctly care for their animals, what makes their dog happy and what not, and why dogs are better as pets than on your plate. They aim to reach over 500 children through this project and start educating Tonga's youth on animal treatment and how to correctly care for your pets, promoting awareness of animal treatment across the country. For this, there are various costs such as leaflet and poster printing, t-shirt printing, various other admin costs. They currently have no outside funding but are trying to raise enough money for their first education drive that will surely make a MASSIVE difference in how the Tongan people think, and therefore also have a MASSIVE impact on the lives of the dogs here in Tonga.
Some FAQs...
Is Tonga big enough to run a marathon?
Yes! Without having to swim. The island I am on is Tongatapu, Tonga's main island. It's 100 square miles (260 km) in total. Plenty of land space for a marathon! It's a handy 45km from one end of the island to the other. So I will be running from one end of Tongatapu to the other. (West to East).
Why are you in Tonga, Zoe?
I came here for a weekend trip. As soon as I arrived, Fiji declared its first coronavirus cases. Since then, Tonga has cancelled all commercial flights. It went on lockdown for 3 weeks but remains one of the few countries in the world without coronavirus.
What's with the cyclone?
Cyclone Harold hit Tonga as a category 5 cyclone and combined with the King tide (highest tide of the year) making for some big waves - a couple of which came into the resort I was staying in, and my house, washing away the ground floor, and my left shoe, with it.
Is it officially organised marathon?
This is not an officially organised marathon. It's just me, just running 26 miles/42.195 km, and hopefully, there might be a couple of other people who wave at me as I go past to cheer me on. I'm hoping there will be someone at the finish line to take a sweaty picture of me, at least.
Who are you running with?
So far, no one. If you happen to know anyone also stuck in Tonga who can run marathons, get them to hit me up. (PS, they don't exist. I've looked.)
Is it safe?
Tonga is a safe country. My fears lie not in the crazy drivers and broken glass lying about, but Tonga's large population of dogs, which may well out-do the human population by a large amount.
You know the sheep vs humans in Wales thing? Well, it's like that here in Tonga. Except the sheep are bigger, have sharp teeth, work in packs, and are extremely territorial. And hungry.
In other words, yes, it's safe - no problem, mum!
How will we know you've completed it?
I'll be tracking my marathon on Strava and will have someone at the start and finish, as well as people keeping watch throughout.
How quickly do you hope to do it?
Less than 5 hours, more than 4. That's reasonable, right?
I'm aiming for around 4hrs 30 mins.
WHY?
Apart from the good cause as mentioned above... If you know me at all, you'll probably know that once I get an idea in my head, it's hard to get it out again. Thankfully, the 'climb Mt. Everest' idea has been replaced by running a marathon, for now.
My answer to 'why?' is always the same; why not.
...Are you OK, Zoe?
Ask me that again AFTER the marathon.
THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT EVERYONE
MUCH LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD IN TONGA
45 KM COAST TO COAST TONGA MARATHON PLUS
Stuck in Tonga for over half a year after coming here for a weekend, it's been an up and down journey.
A journey that both dogs and running have been a big part of.
I want to give something back to this country, and for a charity that so needs it.
I'll be running from one end of Tonga to the other, a full marathon, to raise money for Tonga Animal Welfare Society. Actually, it's a marathon, plus some extra KMs as I take on the entire island of Tonga, from one coast to the other. And I'm pretty certain I'm the first and only person to do this.
TAWS was established only shortly after I arrived in Tonga. They are the only animal charity in Tonga, and they're Tonga's only official body caring for the (really big) population of dogs here. There are NO vets in Tonga, and no other animal charity. But there are lots of dogs.
MARATHON DATE: 17th October | 5:30 am
MONEY ISSUES:
- Due to Tonga being... Tonga, it has some issues receiving money from abroad. And by some issues, I mean that it can't really - in this circumstance, at least. It's a long and boring story but if you can accept ..."Tonga" as an excuse, then rest assured. ALL of the money that comes to me through here will go to TAWS (Tonga Animal Welfare Society). It's just that I can't link it on this platform.
- Donations in Chinese RMB also OK - contact me!
-------------------------
My Running Journey
Since I arrived in the Pacific at the start of February, I started to make the most of the clean air, beaches, and early mornings by going for jogs.
I started taking it a bit more seriously after a couple of months - but what held up for a while when cyclone Harold washed away my running shoes and I couldn't find any trainers in Tonga for a good few weeks. (IF I saw any, they were about 5 sizes too big!).
I found something that would pass as trainers, and I've been running with them ever since. Quite literally running them to the ground as they now have gaping holes in them.
My first 10k went to my first 10-mile run, then my first half-marathon.
Now I'm going to run a full marathon, from one end of Tonga right to the other end, finishing at Tonga's most famous monument - the Ha'amonga.
More on TAWS...
Tonga Animal Welfare Society, known as TAWS, was established in 2020 by a group of animal-loving residents to Tonga.
TAWS want to unite, educate and support the community and will endeavour to find a vet to come and live and work on the island, helping us to keep all animals - dogs, cats, pigs, goats, sheep, horses, bats, ducks, geese and cattle, healthy and safe from illness and pain.
There is no qualified vet in the whole of Tonga. Abroad volunteers from SPAW abroad usually come to Tonga to run one week clinics about 4 times a year, but due to COVID there’s been no SPAW in 2020, and it's unclear when their help will be back.
TAWS provides medication, food, and all-important education on the treatment of dogs in Tonga - a country that uses dogs for meat regularly.
Society No. 814
For more information, please see their website TAWS Tonga
WHAT CAN MY DONATION DO
TAWS is a very new charity and in need of funding for various projects.
Your donation can make a MASSIVE difference. (Seriously).
" We're really seeing a change in behaviour towards animals (in particular dogs). Just since I’ve been here banging on about dog care and rescue, things have changed." - Angela, TAWS
- Dog Collars
Just a few dollars can buy a collar for a dog. Collared dogs are much less likely to get stolen and... eaten.
- Medication
Medication is distributed for free to families that need it on a donation basis, including worming tablets and de-flea medication. Medication must now be bought from overseas as current supplies have run out in Tonga.
- Dog Food Distributions
To families that may not be able to afford to feed their dog army.
- Fees fees fees...
Admin fees, broker fees, handling fees... All of that necessary but boring stuff.
- Education Project
TAWS hopes to go into schools to teach the Tongan people how to correctly care for their animals, what makes their dog happy and what not, and why dogs are better as pets than on your plate. They aim to reach over 500 children through this project and start educating Tonga's youth on animal treatment and how to correctly care for your pets, promoting awareness of animal treatment across the country. For this, there are various costs such as leaflet and poster printing, t-shirt printing, various other admin costs. They currently have no outside funding but are trying to raise enough money for their first education drive that will surely make a MASSIVE difference in how the Tongan people think, and therefore also have a MASSIVE impact on the lives of the dogs here in Tonga.
Some FAQs...
Is Tonga big enough to run a marathon?
Yes! Without having to swim. The island I am on is Tongatapu, Tonga's main island. It's 100 square miles (260 km) in total. Plenty of land space for a marathon! It's a handy 45km from one end of the island to the other. So I will be running from one end of Tongatapu to the other. (West to East).
Why are you in Tonga, Zoe?
I came here for a weekend trip. As soon as I arrived, Fiji declared its first coronavirus cases. Since then, Tonga has cancelled all commercial flights. It went on lockdown for 3 weeks but remains one of the few countries in the world without coronavirus.
What's with the cyclone?
Cyclone Harold hit Tonga as a category 5 cyclone and combined with the King tide (highest tide of the year) making for some big waves - a couple of which came into the resort I was staying in, and my house, washing away the ground floor, and my left shoe, with it.
Is it officially organised marathon?
This is not an officially organised marathon. It's just me, just running 26 miles/42.195 km, and hopefully, there might be a couple of other people who wave at me as I go past to cheer me on. I'm hoping there will be someone at the finish line to take a sweaty picture of me, at least.
Who are you running with?
So far, no one. If you happen to know anyone also stuck in Tonga who can run marathons, get them to hit me up. (PS, they don't exist. I've looked.)
Is it safe?
Tonga is a safe country. My fears lie not in the crazy drivers and broken glass lying about, but Tonga's large population of dogs, which may well out-do the human population by a large amount.
You know the sheep vs humans in Wales thing? Well, it's like that here in Tonga. Except the sheep are bigger, have sharp teeth, work in packs, and are extremely territorial. And hungry.
In other words, yes, it's safe - no problem, mum!
How will we know you've completed it?
I'll be tracking my marathon on Strava and will have someone at the start and finish, as well as people keeping watch throughout.
How quickly do you hope to do it?
Less than 5 hours, more than 4. That's reasonable, right?
I'm aiming for around 4hrs 30 mins.
WHY?
Apart from the good cause as mentioned above... If you know me at all, you'll probably know that once I get an idea in my head, it's hard to get it out again. Thankfully, the 'climb Mt. Everest' idea has been replaced by running a marathon, for now.
My answer to 'why?' is always the same; why not.
...Are you OK, Zoe?
Ask me that again AFTER the marathon.
THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT EVERYONE
MUCH LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD IN TONGA
Organizer
Zoe Stephens
Organizer
England
