Fun Run Raising Awareness for Dementia

The following is an article featured in the 18th February 2026 edition of the Kāpiti News. The text is repeated below for ease of reading.

When Caty Spencer got her chance to fulfil a personal goal, she decided to use it to give back.

The Paraparaumu Beach School teacher will be running in the Boston Marathon in April.

"Which has been like a big personal goal of mine," she says.

"I've spent the last 10 years trying to qualify."

Originally from the UK, Caty is using the trip to see family in London as well, and as chance would have it, the London Marathon is on at the same time.

So as part of her entry, she is raising money for a dementia charity and has decided to do the same thing here by holding a Fun Run in March.

To be held on March 14, at QEII Park, the run, starting at Ramaroa Centre, near the MacKays Crossing entrance, will include options from 2.5km up to 10km and those taking part can either walk or run.

Caty says getting into the London Marathon is "really hard".

"I started looking at charity places and dementia charities in particular, because there's a lot of dementia in my family."

She found a small dementia charity in London called Dementia Concern and got in contact, talking to them over Zoom and now has a fundraising target for that.

But after talking with Nic Ayson, who runs Single Track Collective in Waikanae, she decided to do the local Fun Run event with part of the proceeds to go to a local organisation, Home4All.

The Waikanae-based organisation runs a Green Care Farm, an adult day care for people with early-stage dementia.

Caty says she talked with Jan and Marian Weststrate, who founded Home4All and the model they have is very similar to the dementia charity in London.

"Whatever we can make from the Fun Run will be split between the two charities."

She says the school has been "really supportive".

"And I'm hoping I'll get heaps of kids from school."

The run will be a 2.5km loop which is accessible and easy to manage and people will be able to choose how many loops they want to do.

Four local businesses: Kindred.Co, Haarlem Build, Paula's Home and Living and Thomson Plumbing and Gasfitting are sponsoring the four distances which is going straight into the fundraising pot.

Rooms at the Ramaroa Centre have been made available as well.

"The community has just been really awesome," Caty says.

When Caty met with Jan and Marian she talked with them about the stigma attached to an illness such as dementia.

"When people start to feel that something isn't quite right, they sort of just try and hide it, or they don't really do anything about it, and then it's too late.

"So if you can get into a programme early, you can learn and cement skills that mean you can then stay associated with that programme for way longer."

Caty adds that a person who is well down the track of decline can't learn how to manage a new place, but if they get in early, they can attend a programme and live at home for longer.

She says that she felt the fun run tied in well with raising awareness for dementia.

"Because the more active and the more exercise that you do is actually proven to reduce the risk of dementia as well."

Caty emphasises that the event is not just for runners as people can also walk the route, as it's not being timed and participants won't be marked on who is the fastest.

"It's just come out as a group and have fun and do whatever distance you want to do."

She says there will be others out at the site helping with the sausage sizzle as well.

While people can just come along on the day, Caty suggests they donate their distance, such as $2.50 if they want to do 2.5km.

"It's like an honesty box type thing." An added benefit will be the social aspect. "It's what gets people out there, at least starting on something that feels really hard to start with."

Caty says she is often at the park through school for the inter-schools cross country.

"It just feels nice to be doing something that's here."

Organising the Fun Run has been somewhat unexpected as Caty's main goal was to run the Boston Marathon, something which has taken her years of hard work and now she will be doing two marathons in six days.

While she isn't expecting fast times, she plans to just enjoy it.

"I'm just gonna be high-fiving everyone and enjoying the whole experience and not worry about it because it's the reward."

The Fun Run and Walk in in QEII Park (Ramaroa - MacKays Crossing entrance) on Saturday, March 14, starting at 10am.

Thank you so much for Caty and everyone who plans to take part. And thank you to the sponsors of the event. We can't wait to see everyone there!