Achilles New Zealand - Athlete Stories

Athlete Stories

Read about our incredible athletes, their life experiences and how they got involved with Achilles.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT ON: Achilles Chair set to do the double in six days....

Our Achilles NZ Chair, Paul Barclay, is less than 24 hours away from taking on both the Boston and London marathons, two marathons in two different countries, within 6 days.

Here's what he has to say in his lead up to this double:

  1. You completed the Berlin marathon last year and have finished many other marathons, what learnings and experiences did you take out of that event/trip and other marathons you have done?

I was very fortunate to get a place in the 2025 Berlin Marathon via Achilles International.  No 2 marathons are the same.  The course is different, the weather is different, the preparation is different and the “head space” is different each time.  Berlin was very hot and much more congested than I had anticipated.  It was the hottest weather and most congested marathon I had completed.  I was initially disappointed at my finishing time, but I realized afterwards that I was very fortunate to have that experience and that they don’t all go to plan.  The opportunity to do the tourist things while there was an additional part of the trip that many people never get to experience.


    2. What made you decide to do the London and Boston Marathons coming up?

It is my goal to be the first Achilles New Zealand runner to complete the 6 Stars of the Abbott World Major Marathons.  These 2 marathons in April will complete 4 of the 6.  Both are one-off opportunities that possibly wont’ arise again.  Entry to Boston is via qualification time.  I had a great run in the 2024 New York Marathon which qualified me for Boston.  Entry to London was via Achilles International which might not happen again.  I am interested in running as many different Marathons as I can.  Of the 13 marathons to date, only 1 has been done twice, i.e. Christchurch in 2021 and 2024.


    3. What has your training looked like leading up to London/Boston and have you had any setbacks?

I developed my own training plan before my first Marathon back in 2020.  It involves mixing flat runs with hill runs and increasing distances or elevation each week.  It culminates with a 35km flat run 2 weeks before the marathon.  That training regime has worked well for me for the previous 13 Marathons.  The only thing I have done differently this time was to get advice from a Nutritionist.  That was particularly around the recovery from Boston and the preparation for London.  There are only 5 days between them with the inclusion of trans-Atlantic travel.  Thankfully I haven’t had any setbacks in the preparation for these 2 Marathons.


     4.How are you feeling with looking to do two marathons back-to-back? 

There is a mix of nervousness and anticipation.  The 2 closest Marathons to date have been 4 weeks apart.  The key thing will be focusing on recovery/preparation between them.  The other thing will be to not get sick from the plane flights.  I will be 1 of those people wearing a mask on the plane to reduce that possibility.  There is a sense of relief at the end of each training run that is completed without injury.


      5. Anything else you would like us to know or acknowledgements?

I am very grateful for the support from Tony and Rosie and the other guides who run with me on the training runs.  Without that preparation the Marathons would be an impossibility.  I can’t put into words how much gratitude I have for Rosie and Tony who travel with me to run those overseas marathons.  They take time off work to run them with me.  I couldn’t run them without their support.

I am also grateful for the many people who have contributed to our Give A Little page and come along to the Quiz Night fundraisers.  It is my aim to fundraise the flight and accommodation costs of Tony and Rosie.  Thankfully I managed to do that for New York, Berlin and should achieve it again for Boston and London.  I think of all of those people who have contributed to the fundraising when the going gets a bit hard on a training run or during the Marathon.  That helps keep me going.

I am also extremely grateful for the support and encouragement from my wife Jane and our daughter Hannah.  London will be extra special as they will be there.  This is the first and possibly only time that they will both be at an Abbott World Major Marathon with me.

It's not too late to donate - Paul’s world major marathon journey - Givealittle