Marco’s 24 hour Squash Marathon for CatWalk

Marco’s 24 hour Squash Marathon has been a great success. There was a little panic when the bridges into Martinborough were closed on Friday due to a storm, but all the players from Wellington and Masterton made it to the Squash Club to hit with Marco.

On Friday, with locals on and off the court enjoying the atmosphere, special guests, Aaron Slight, Stuart Davenport and Matt Spooner playing exciting squash and local chef Nick Arnold cooking up a feast, the club was humming and the first six hours flew by.

A steady stream of Martinborough Squash Club members and Wairarapa locals kept Marco company throughout the night. The bright lighting on the Squash court meant Marco was less aware of the time and says it was “much easier than I thought to get through to morning.”

On Saturday Providore turned on hot egg and bacon muffins for breakfast followed later in the morning with a welcome delivery of piping hot scones and muffins straight from the ovens at the Village Cafe.

The event was so well supported by locals and Marco said new players stepping on court every half hour give him the variety he needed to keep his enthusiasm up.

Marco was allocated five minutes in each half hour to break for food and rest. He was supported with a nutrition program designed by experienced endurance sport enthusiast John Taylor and regular stretching with the help of local trainer Kevin Ricky.

A highlight for Marco was the support of the junior players. In groups of three or four children teamed up to hit with de Groot and raise money for the charity. “It was a great boost to me to have the kids playing and the $1000.00 they raised for CatWalk was a credit to them.”

With the final few hours came the hardest time for Marco. “I struggled with the idea of having six or seven more people to play and one of those was a tough game which resulted in a little strain on my calf which is a problem for me.”

But the arrival of CatWalk founder Catriona Williams and her husband Sam together with CatWalk Ambassador and Martinborough local Penny Barnett, provided the lift de Groot required to push through to the end of 24 hours of play and finish strongly.

The totals amount raised by the event was over $ 6,000.00.

I would like to thank my support crew that made the 24 Squash Marathon such a successful event and also all the local businesses and people for your generosity. I couldn’t have done this without you all. Many thanks to sponsors: More FM, Shoe Clinic, Tora Coastal Walk, P&K, Fresh Choice, Mitre 10, Kitchener Dairy, Cadbury, Babolat, Trilogy, Alana, Ata Rangi, Nga Waka, Palliser, Poppies, Te Kairanga, Trust House, 10 O’Clock Cookie Company, The Turret House, Martinborough Transport, PGGWrightson, Mangan Graphics, Greenlees Print, Rebecca Tosswill, Ross Smith, Moore Wilsons, Moa Beer
Marco de Groot