Run Forrest! Run!: How a run from Hamilton to Raglan is helping Cambodian kids

That day, for one particular reason, he decided to go for a little run. So he ran to the end of the road. And when he got there, he thought maybe he'd run to the end of the town. And when he got there, he thought maybe he'd just run to Raglan.

No, not Forrest Gump, but Hamiltonian Ben Scantlebury has completed a run to Raglan and donated the proceeds of the fundraiser to charity.

The gruelling run from Hamilton to Raglan is roughly a little more than a marathon, almost 43km.

The idea came to him after an excursion dedicated to helping the people of Cambodia improve their quality of life, where Ben felt his desire to do more for the local people was “overwhelming.” 

“I wasn’t in the best place financially, but they were looking for some financial support and I thought to myself ‘how I could help?’.

“What can I do that’s going to be significant and impressive and that people are going to want to contribute towards? Then I thought of this.”

The run, which started at the edge of Hamilton and took more than five hours, was one of the hardest things Scantlebury says he has ever done.

Ben created a donation link on popular fundraising page gofundme.com, and began training for the upcoming marathon. Although, he admits he probably didn’t train enough. 

“I used to run around the lake, but it could never prepare me for the run.”

However, he says it’s all been worth it.

Asian Outreach Cambodia, a Cambodian charity dedicated to improving the lives of Cambodian children, was the recipient of around $1500, as friends, family and strangers donated to Ben’s cause. 

Ben dressed up as Tom Hanks’ Forrest Gump for the run, which he says received a brilliant reception from passers by.

“People tooted their horns as they drove past. One man even got out of his car and ran with me for a few kilometres.”

Ben says the money went towards sending Cambodian children to school, something he says is important to improving the livelihood of future generations in Cambodia.

“It’s not about people going over there and helping out, but actually going over there and helping the Cambodians upskill.”