"Blind Tandem Cyclist Hannah Pascoe's Epic 19-Day Journey Across Aotearoa: Chasing Dreams and Raising $28,500"

As you may or may not be aware, Hannah Pascoe a blind tandem cyclist from Invercargill set herself the incredible challenge last year of cycling the length of Aotearoa in just 19 days. She did this in the hopes of raising money for future athletes and give back, encouraging others to start ‘chasing dreams’ as she did on her pursuit to get to the Paralympics.

Hannah has made a statement below we would love to share, along with a fantastic article from Women’s weekly (a PDF) and an audio interview of the article itself from the team at Blind Low Vision.

Thank you for all your support to get our amazing team from the top to bottom of Aotearoa.  It was a huge journey for us all and I do look forward to sharing our mammoth journey.  What I can share at the moment is thanks to so many near and wide that together we raised $28,500 toward Chasing dreams for Blind athletes.  My magic number is $100,000 so I’ll keep quietly chipping away.  In the meantime I cannot thank you enough for all of your support in getting us to this point.  I’m so grateful and excited for what this means for our blind community.

Lastly please see attached an mp3 recorded article via Blind low vision and a PDF article taken from the women’s weekly written by Ruth Jillings.  A few examples and highlights of our ride downward.  We are also thankful to all of our media outlets including Radio New Zealand, More FM, Southland times, Channel 1 Breakfast, the Otago daily times and NZ Me for following and helping us to get the word out during our 19 days.

Another thanks to Kara for keeping the Chasing dreams page constantly updated throughout those weeks to and the outstanding piloting.  As well as Janet, Aunty Marcia, Aunty Ora and Uncle Nobs for everything.

Spotlight: A Journey of Three Blind Athletes Conquering the Auckland Marathon

In a world where barriers often shape our perceptions, the stories of three extraordinary young men—Ethan, Kyren, and Roman from BLENNZ—offer a poignant reminder that true limitations exist only within the confines of our minds. This interview explores their preparation, experiences, and reflections on participating in the Auckland marathon last year alongside Achilles.

Preparation and Training

Ethan with his arm raised and cheering in a yellow Achilles shirt and Guide Chantelle Enesa crossing the finish line. Time shows 2.32.20

Ethan initiated the conversation, detailing his training routine—30 minutes of cardio in the morning, followed by strength training in the afternoon. Reflecting on the challenge, Ethan said, "I felt I was challenged, but it was a good challenge - I like them, otherwise life would be boring."

Kyren, an experienced tandem cyclist and on the para pathway, embraced a different approach, relying on cycling training to bolster endurance. Reflecting on the marathon, Kyren shared, "When I got to the marathon, it was like the excitement built on the day, and when I got to it and completed it, I felt pretty good."

Roman, initially lured into complacency during school holidays in his preparation, found motivation and discipline under the guidance of Stuart, a residential youth worker and Roman’s running partner and guide. Roman admitted, "I lost my training pattern from the school holidays and became too comfortable, I then got sick and that made me doubt myself a little bit – my family said I could pull out if I needed but I knew I didn’t want to let myself and the team down”

Stuart, a pivotal figure in getting the team together for the day, shared insights into his regimen—gym sessions three times a week, swimming twice a week, and long runs on weekends to familiarize himself with the pacing and distance. Stuart reflected, "It was an amazing experience, and just like these guys, I was super nervous in the morning - couldn’t even eat breakfast, but then we hit the ferry wharf and I was like yes! I’m excited."

Achilles Connection and Support

The group received support within Achilles, a community that empowers athletes with disabilities. Roman highlighted the significance of training alongside Achilles members, emphasizing the inspiration derived from the Auckland Chapter with characters like Peter Loft and Warren Payne. Roman stated, "I trained with Stuart in Cornwall Park and Auckland Centre Domain with Achilles and got tips from other people running," remarked Roman. “I think it was just a really good experience with Achilles, a good organization." Stuart echoed the sentiment, “It was a good opportunity to run alongside them and train alongside them. I feel like we came away running with Achilles quite inspired as well”

Stuart and Roman strengthened their connection formed during their runs. Stuart added "Yeah, and through comms with each one, I’ve found we really get in tune with each other. He (Roman) will sometimes spot things before me! I’ll still keep up and say there is a speed bump, and he’d be like, yeah, I know!’" Their guiding relationship was a blend of teamwork, communication, and mutual inspiration, showcasing the power of collaboration in overcoming challenges.

The Marathon Experience

As the interview shifted to the marathon itself, emotions ran high. Ethan, admitting nervousness as a first-time marathoner, expressed excitement at the prospect of pushing personal limits. Ethan said, "I was also VERY excited because of those reasons, that I’d never done pro-sport before, so it was an amazing taster as to what it is."

Guide Stuart Sloman left and Roman to the right shirtless with Achilles top tucked into running shorts crossing the finish line and smiling.

Roman overcame doubts and illness, ultimately finding the marathon a profoundly rewarding journey. Roman recalled, "The night before the marathon probably is the worst because you wanna get good rest, and then if you don’t, it’s not good. And then the marathon day you get a boost; you get a massive natural high."

Marathon Times and Words of Wisdom

The athletes shared advice for those contemplating a marathon, emphasizing the importance of mental fortitude, training, and the simple act of putting one's mind to the challenge. Roman's bold declaration, "If three blind students can do it, anyone can," serves as a powerful testament and adds, "If you think about doing a marathon, then do a marathon. If you are thinking about it, I reckon you really wanna do it, but you just don’t know how to do it."

Reflecting on their marathon times:

• Ethan completed the 11km marathon in an impressive 2 hours and 10 minutes.

• Kyren achieved a remarkable time of 1 hour and 52 minutes for the 11km marathon.

• Roman conquered the 21km marathon in 2 hours and 21 minutes.

Looking ahead, Roman expressed a desire to tackle a 42km marathon and venture into cycling and triathlons. "I definitely do another 10km next year because those to me are very comfortable for me and trying to smash my time with the Wellington marathon. I really want to do a 42km."

The Ripple Effect

Beyond personal achievements, the impact of their journey resonates within the BLENNZ community. Teachers and students alike found inspiration in their accomplishments, fostering a ripple effect within the school with students and teachers alike. Heather, acting as the logistics person on the day, reflected on the experience, "It was busy but elated about it all. There was also extra stuff during the race that happened along the way that was special."

Kyren left and Achilles guide Lars Madsen right, both wearing yellow Achilles tops crossing the finish line. They are holding hands high in the air in celebration and Kyren has his other arm up high too with a smile.

Pasifika drums accompanied a part of their journey, echoing the collective rhythm of resilience and power, these young men are beginning to break down barriers, and setting an example for those around them.

Their story urges everyone to break free from self-imposed limitations and embark on their own journeys. The marathon isn’t just a physical feat but a mental one, proving that with determination, support, and a strong sense of purpose, anyone can cross the finish line. Kyren added, "Massive shoutout to the staff of BLENNZ, especially Stuart for organizing the opportunity. Thank you for organizing this really fun event; I’m definitely doing it again. Bring it on."

Feeling inspired? Share the journey of these incredible athletes and spread the message of breaking boundaries, or get in touch with us if you want to be involved with a local chapter of Achilles New Zealand.

Hannah's guide to adventures in Queenstown

The trip came about to explore the town and what it had to offer after being quite a years in a row visiting Queenstown for the Annual adaptive snow sports festival. Only coming for the days of skiing itself not actually having the time or confidence to see and do activities in the adventure heart of the south island on my own. 

I decided this year 3 days before my 5th adaptive snow sports festival I was going to see the place and enjoy being a tourist. My younger sister Sophia  who is also vision impaired accompanied me it was her first time in the south island. The activities we did were researched on Google. recommendations given to us by friends and this helpful free to join Facebook group called New Zealand Travel Trips NZTT which also have discount codes for a range of activities. 

Our Queenstown trip at the start of august was fantastic being true tourists for a few days. This is what we got up to;

Day 1

Started the adventure with shotover canyon swing for me, the highest swing in NZ at 109m over the Shotover river. A free fall of 60m before the swing catches you. It was amazing so much fun. I would highly recommend to anyone seeking adrenaline. This activity was booked directly through their website https://www.canyonswing.co.nz/ they offer a shuttle from the centre of town out to the canyon and back. The group activity took us 2 hours. When you arrived there is a dirt track along the edge of the canyon a few minutes walk to the building. I was able to navigate well with my cane following my sister who was in front of me. No obstacles of roots, some rails were up in parts which gave me more confidence.  The staff who drove the shuttle was also available to assist if we needed guiding. When I put on my harness the staff were very helpful there were a lot of loops to step through. I had to make my way down a few flights of steps to reach the swing platform. Handrails were on both sides so I was safe. I just took my time no one rushed me, especially good as it was wet and snowing! I was very nervous not having sone anything so extreme before. The staff guided me onto the end of the platform and talked me through what was happening then we counted down to three I took a big breath and I was off flying through the air over the canyon. 

We then headed to the Onsen hot pools for an afternoon of relaxation in our own private spa overlooking mountains. The pools offer a shuttle from town to the facility but we took a Uber as we were running late for our booking. When you arrive there has a 100m ramp down to the building well formed gravel path.  The staff at the pools were really helpful and guided us to our spa and showed us where the bathrooms were. It was a fun activity to share together. We managed to book the shuttle back to town at the front desk which the staff guided us to the van. I felt very well looked after. 

Day 2

we set off early for our Milford Sound Tour. We were on the bus for about an hour and a half to when the snow came rolling in and closed the road. We had to turn back at Mossburn to QT. it was a winter wonderland ride so special snowing like that as well as learning a bit about the region from the driver. We booked the tour through kiwi experience the cheapest tour I found traveling from Queenstown. 

 We didn’t let the weather stop us though, when we got back to town It luckily cleared up enough for us to enjoy the cruise on the TSS Earnslaw up to Glenorchy and back. We were met with kindness being guided by the boat sfaff on first and helping us find a seat. 

We then went to Minus 5 ice bar. That was really fun enjoying a cocktail. We arrived early to our booking the staff helped us put jackets on and guided us in a few minutes before everyone else so we could order our cocktail and find a corner to sit down to enjoy before it got too loud and crowded.   

Hannah in the Ice Bar

Day 3

We started early again with breakfast out at Coco caban and then dropped our suitcases off for storage using the service mind my bag easy as website to book through and when we dropped our bags off they were helpful to pre book our taxis for when we came back late in the day 

We headed to the gondola a gorgeous day. The gondola was free for people with disabilities. 

We then asked the luge manager if it was possible for us to go on the luge and as it wasn’t busy we had the best time on the luge supported by some staff members who tied carts together to take us down. We were supported and guided over construction work to get to and from the luge. I was so thankful for the kindness people showed us to give us that opportunity. 

We then went to Ferg bakery for lunch. 

We ended the day with a fantastic but cold jet boat ride on the lake and up the Kawarau River over the rapids. We booked with RealNZ. The staff again were so helpful guided us down the small steps to the boat and back up to to the wharf.    

Tips on what to do when trying out activities (preparation, research)

1. Research how you will travel to the activities and be realistic. 

2. We didn’t do helicopter trips as I can’t see that, or hiking as we didn’t have that type of support guide wise, or the right clothing/equipment.

3. We experienced that when we asked for assistance everyone was so nice willing to help. Save up money though, it’s expensive in Queenstown

4. We walked majority of the places we went apart from using shuttles Uber taxis to Activities out of town. We used GPS to find places we needed to go. GPS was not the best all the time be mindful that if it says you have arrived the place may be tucked behind where you stand in a alleyway or a few shops down but we managed to find everything with not too much frustration. 

It made us feel happy and empowered traveling around independently doing so many bucket list activities. I am excited about the future other adventures to come 

Queenstown is a great place to do lots of things as they are accessible in town we didn’t need to worry about trying to find public transport stops and walking for long periods to get to a place. I would recommend Queenstown for travellers wanting to experience the south with poor vision. 

Wahine Toa Tour Aotearoa announcement

Hannah Pascoe, who lives in Invercargill, is blind and was chasing a dream to be at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games as a para-cyclist on a tandem bike.

“Since 2017 I have been chasing the dream of becoming a Paralympian in paracycling with a break in between to start our little whanau. Sadly and despite my best efforts, this dream is not to be. I’m happy to say despite this news, I’m going out among the top 10 fastest tandems in the world. I will be retiring from high performance sport but don’t want to waste all my training and hard work so I want to achieve one more big thing before settling down into normal everyday whanau life.”

Hannah Pascoe in the centre of the picture in cycling gear and smiling at camera, along with Janet and Kara in Janets cycling kit which is under her business called the rig.

Blind Sport is proud to partner with her project to become the first kāpō wahine to cycle the length of Aotearoa from 8-29 November 2023 (there has only been one blind low vision member who has completed this - Paul Glass from Timaru who rode the Tour of Aotearoa 3000km distance over 21 days).  The aim of her project is to raise awareness for blind and low vision athletes and fundraise for future blind/low vision athletes to chase their dreams in sport just like she did. All funds raised going to growing Blind Sport and giving our community hope that chasing dreams is possible.

In Hannah’s own words

‘First… one more milestone to tick off that is within my control. Become the first blind female to cycle the 2300km roads of Aotearoa. And what’s a big event without a cause. To raise money and awareness for our blind and low vision members in sport. But wait, there’s more!

I’ll be joined by my outstanding cousin Kara who’ll be taking up pilot once again and who originally got me into cycling. Along next, Janet queen of endurance whom I I first met her at SIT.  She was only a long distance runner until we converted her into a multi sporter and has since completed 3 coast to coast events. Also to join the Wahine Toa Tour of Aotearoa, our extraordinary Aunty Marcia who has been a part of this journey from the start along with Aunty Ora to follow us over 20 long days across the motu.’

Please see below for the current schedule (subject to change with weather conditions!) You can support this great project in so many ways! Joining them on road bikes for part of the journey, cheer on from the side lines when they arrive at a destination, donating to the cause and spreading the word about this incredible first time feat!

Since 2017, Hannah has grown a social media following so people can follow her journey of chasing dreams.  Just because she wasn’t able to qualify for the Paralympics, it does not mean it can’t happen for someone else and she wants to use her profile and reputation to help. Hannahs team are sharing their journey already with significant fundraising milestones already achieved. Daily live updates will be shared on the journey through her Facebook page raising the profile of the ride, fundraising and having a good time whilst trying to pretend legs aren’t hurting. Make sure to give it a follow now!  

https://www.facebook.com/ChasingDreamswithHannah

Want to find out more about what you can do to help – get in touch with Hannah at hannah.pascoe@icloud.com or Blind Sport at jemma@blindsport.kiwi

Map of NZ with route of hannahs trip. Text version is below

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep balanced you must keep moving forward." Albert Einstein