Athletics: Happy to call Otago home

A Frenchman who met his future New Zealand wife in Japan and is now delighted to call Otago home, Romain Mirosa is no ordinary entrant in the Dunedin marathon on September 14.

Mirosa grew up around Paris and Marseille and did not become involved in any sporting endeavour until arriving in New Zealand 11 years ago.

He met Miranda (nee Thomson) the previous year when the two were exchange students in Dunedin's Japanese sister city, Otaru.

It was Miranda who had the sporting pedigree, having excelled in netball, tennis and snowboarding. Her father, John, was a New Zealand age-group duathlon representative.

Completing their student exchange period in Otaru, the two maintained a long-distance relationship for the next year as Thomson returned to study in Dunedin and Mirosa headed back to France.

A horrific snowboarding accident on Coronet Peak sped up Mirosa's return to New Zealand to be closer to Thomson as she battled to overcome two broken vertebrae in her neck.

''She was very lucky. The surgeon told her if her vertebrae had gone another millimetre further, she would have been a tetraplegic. Every time she goes for a run, she feels pretty glad.''

Thomson recently finished second in the short-course run option of the Peninsula Challenge and was eighth in the 10km road race held in association with the Christchurch marathon.

The long road to recovery led to Thomson returning to the family home in Feilding, where Mirosa spent the next six months aiding her recovery and getting to know her parents and family.

Mirosa (35) was soon out running and biking daily with his future father-in-law.

''He got me hooked. He's an exceptional athlete.''

The couple now work in Dunedin and have decided living anywhere else in the world is not an option.

''I have the best playground in the world to do my training,'' Mirosa said.

''It's just absolutely stunning, totally amazing. It's just beautiful. I'm really fortunate.''

Mirosa, a survey manager with the Quality Advancement Unit at the University of Otago, will tackle the marathon distance for a third time at the Cadbury-sponsored event in September.

He was seventh in the Christchurch marathon at Queen's Birthday Weekend, clocking 2hr 38min 34sec. His father-in-law completed the event in 3hr 19min 42sec to win the men's 60-69 age-group title, while in the associated 10km road race, Miranda finished eighth in the open women's section.

Entries for the Dunedin marathon close on Monday, August 25.