On 31st July 2010 Rosie Macleod completed a 9km 'wheelathon' to raise funds for her activities as a disabled sportsperson.

Rosie, 54, has lived in Tawa for 27 years and is a single mother of two grown children and a grandmother of three. She contracted polio at three in her homeland of Fiji and has been a wheelchair user since 1990. Rosie is an enthusiastic sportswoman, having already represented New Zealand as a member of the Women's Wheelchair Basketball team, currently plays wheelchair tennis at the Tawa Lyndhurst Tennis Club and intends taking up air rifle shooting with a view towards participation at an international level.

Rosie completed the wheelathon in a time of 1 hour 45 minutes in an unmodified chair on a circuit in Te Horo near Otaki. She was accompanied by Oliver Goulden, a fellow Tawa resident and wheelchair athlete, in support of her endeavour. "It was a fantastic experience and I appreciated the positive response of the local community and all those who contributed to this event. I felt really good inside and now realise that continuous achievement is possible if you put your mind to it," said Rosie upon completion of the event.

- Report and photos provided by Barrie Sargeant

Above: Rosie and Oliver at the starting line
Below: Hautere Road, Te Horo; Rosie at the finishing line