Both a peacekeeper and a potato lover (there is even a variety of potato in New Zealand named after her, called the “Moonlight”!), Melissa Moon is a Wellington, New Zealand, girl, born and bred (save for a stint living in Hong Kong between the ages of seven and 12).

Melissa is a special-needs teacher and holds a master’s degree in business studies. She also works at the Compassion Centre in Wellington doing relief teaching. Her volunteer activities include working at a soup kitchen for seven years, delivering Meals on Wheels and helping out with Project K and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Melissa is also affiliated with the Port Nicholson Rotary.

Melissa has been running internationally for 12 years and has traveled to more than 30 countries. She is a two-time World Mountain Running Champion and holds 21 New Zealand titles in road, cross-country and mountain and track running. Melissa also has had the honor of having been previously named the New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year. Her personal connection to the Blue Planet Run stems from these athletic world travels, during which she truly learned the importance of safe drinking water.

Melissa heard about Blue Planet Run from a good friend who emailed her about it when she was in Nigeria. She was inspired because she was in a developing nation and so was experiencing the necessity of good water. Melissa understands how lucky she is to have grown up in New Zealand and feels it’s her part in this lifetime to create as much awareness as possible of this environmental issue.

Melissa was extremely honored to have been chosen as one of the 20 runners in the Blue Planet Run. She considers it a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will require her to step out of her comfort zone and just “go for it!" Melissa says this about her role in the Blue Planet Run: “I feel privileged in my life . . . I really do have compassion and understanding about the suffering there is in other parts of the world, and if I can make a difference and create that awareness, then I feel I have done my bit in my lifetime.”

Melissa also loves music (her favorite band is The Eagles) and the theater. Her hero and inspiration is the Dalai Lama, because he teaches about the truly important things in life and the simple values of caring, kindness, compassion and tolerance. Plus, “he is always laughing”!

She is currently in the process of sharing her Blue Planet Run adventure with many schools, corporates, Rotary etc.... She has been featured in magazines and Runner's World Australia/New Zealand is doing a feature on her and the Blue Planet Run for their 10 year magazine edition in July. The New Zealand Jaycee's are nominating her for the Top Outstanding Young Persons of the World Program(TOYP) Award. The Jaycee's is a world wide federation of young leaders and entrepreneurs - they have more than 250,000 members in more than 110 nations globally. The 10 finalists will be flown to India for the awards ceremony.

Her contact details are : melissapmoon@yahoo.co.nz