At 88, most people are slowing down — but Garth Barfoot is doing anything but. Fresh from completing the 2024 New York Marathon as the event’s oldest finisher, the legendary Kiwi has now taken on a new role: the first official patron of The Coastal Trail — a shared walking and cycling route set to connect Pūhoi to Mangawhai.

Garth has donated a total of $150,000 to the trail: $100,000 to help kickstart the project in its early stages, and a further $50,000 to support construction of the Point Wells section.

Chair of The Coastal Trail Trust, Aidan Bennett, says Garth’s support has been nothing short of transformative.

Garth completed the New York City Marathon

“Garth’s generosity and spirit are truly inspirational. His early donation gave this project its start before we were even ready to build. Having him as our first patron is a huge honour — and entirely fitting for someone who has spent his life pushing limits.”

Garth’s connection to cycling dates back to childhood.

“My link with cycling goes back to the Second World War,” he recalls.

“In primary school I had a newspaper run using a bike to deliver the evening paper. My elder brothers would go on biking holidays with my father — petrol for civilians was a very sparse commodity.”

Years later, it was his wife Judy — a retired anaesthetist and fellow adventurer — who got him back on the bike.

“Over time I joined her more and more,” says Garth. One memorable trip had them tracing the rugged Motu River Trail from Ōpōtiki to Gisborne. The rocks made cycling tricky, and Garth jokingly considered returning with a spade to clear them himself.

That instinct to improve things stuck. When he discovered that his friend and fellow triathlete Kathy Sheldrake was chairing the Motu Trail volunteer group, he made his first trail donation — later extending his support to Queenstown Trails and now The Coastal Trail.

His introduction to The Coastal Trail came through marathon legend Allison Roe — a founding trustee of the project and Garth’s mentor in the lead-up to New York. Their bond through triathlons, Masters Games, and a shared love of endurance sport led to Garth becoming a key supporter of the trail.

Garth’s latest feat — completing the New York Marathon in 11 hours, 29 minutes and 49 seconds — was no small challenge. Running alongside his daughter Kiri and friend Lay Cunningham, he braved freezing temperatures, multiple layers of clothing, and the relentless energy of the NYC crowds.

“If you’re going to do one marathon in your life, it should be New York,” he said in a recent interview. “It’s the crowds that keep you going.”

Though he’s no longer cycling, Garth is a regular at 5km Parkruns in Auckland.

“Father Time has put an end to my cycling,” he says, “but not to my use of cycleways. They’re some of the most popular venues for Parkruns — something this retirement village resident looks forward to every Saturday morning.”

Garth Barfoot’s name may be synonymous with real estate, but his legacy is equally etched into Aotearoa’s sporting and community landscape — one finish line, one donation, and one trail at a time.

Garth’s generosity is helping to create something truly special — a safe, sustainable walking and cycling trail that will connect schools, communities, beaches and bush from Pūhoi to Mangawhai. A trail for everyone, for generations to come.

Want to be a legend like Garth? Get behind the trail and help bring it to life: www.thecoastaltrail.co.nz