‘Marco’s 24 Squash Marathon’

Martinborough Sports Coach Marco de Groot will be testing his passion for squash to the limit this July as he aims to play the game continuously for 24 hours to raise money for the CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust.

The event, which is thought to be the first of its kind in New Zealand, has attracted the support of former World Squash No 3 and USA Open title holder Stuart Davenport and motorsport master and CatWalk Patron Aaron Slight, as well as over 60 regional squash players.

Supporters will each play 30 minutes to help the 47-year old father of two achieve his goal, beginning on Friday 12 July at 4.00 pm at the Martinborough Squash Club.

De Groot is member of the CatWalk Trust team who will run the IGC New York Marathon in November this year. De Groot says he is unsure which event will be tougher. ”However I am sure playing 24-hours of non-stop squash will go some way towards preparing me for the mental and physical endurance required to run 42 kilometers in New York”
The CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust was founded in 2005 by Catriona Williams, formerly one of New Zealand’s leading international equestrian riders. Following a riding accident in 2002, she is now C6/C7 tetraplegic and confined to a wheelchair. Catriona is hoping to attend the event on Saturday.

Spectators and public are welcome at the Club throughout the event with music, raffles and spot prizes available to all supporters leading up to the final hour of play.