Hi there. I'm Mick and I've gone a bit potty in the last 3 years with running distances, which frankly if you had asked me 3 and a half years ago what I thought about people who ran in events which take upto 17 hours, I would have said that they are all utterly mad, had nothing better to do with their time and it served them right if they ended up with arthritis of the knees by next Christmas. Which is of course all correct.
So why do this?
Well it is easier to explain the how rather than the why and as usual it is best to start by blaming some one else. On this occasion that would be my wife Moira who is a spectacular woman who started up triathlons seven or so years ago, in the era that dawned when our children had all become of school age. She has proved to be very successful at them. Revealing a terrifying determination to race an ironman (and QUALIFY for the world championships in Hawaii 2008!) , she enlisted me to run the marathon leg in the Wanaka Challenge iron distance race in 2008, which I confess I loved. That was my first marathon. Flush with enthusiasm I subsequently ran the Motatapu Mountain Marathon ( which made me cry) 6 weeks later, and then the St James 69 km Ultramarathon three weeks after that ( which left me feeling somewhere between being alive and not). None of the times were spectacular but I beat the cut off which has pretty much been the story of my events since then.
Back to why.
Well initially it is because my first love is being in beautiful country which is where all these events get held. The Wanaka region of NZ is so beautiful it hurts to look at the scenery, the St James' Walkway has a quiet moody grandeur that makes you realise that you are definitely in a world much bigger than your own little existence. The advantage of running these tramping tracks in a day is that you do not have to lug a big pack with you although the time spent in these regions is inevitably shorter. I was lucky to run the 60 km Kepler Track in December 2009 in the best weather conditons for 20 years and I followed this up with running the Tarawera 100 km run in March 2010. Yes it was knackering, but my enduring memory is not of tired legs, but of pristine bush, the companionship of runners, waterfalls and the fabulous taste of freshly cut watermelon at aid stations. I guess I'm hooked.
Bush Running on the Tarawera Ultramarathon March 2010
Shortly before the Kepler Run in 2009, my sister who lives in the UK, - my country of birth-, was diagnosed with T3N1M0 bowel cancer in her early 50's. I myself am a Family Doctor and at first I was very shocked that someone so young should have a relatively advanced cancer. Then with reflecting on the patients that I have encountered over the past 26 years, I came to realise that what would have had a poor outlook at the time of my graduation from medical school, has now turned into a disease with a much better outlook. Her treatment has been a true ultramarathon with radiotherapy / chemotherapy/ surgery/ chemotherapy and then more surgery. These treatment options have come about through better techniques , better drugs, better imaging and better radiotherapy,all via careful evaluation and research. All of these treatments will need to be refined and made better through yet more research and by increasing awareness of bowel cancer. Bowel cancer is one of three most common cancers in New Zealand.
My current aims are to run the Abel Tasman Coastal Classic 33km Run on September 18th, the Molesworth 85 km run on November 20th , the Tarawera 100km on March 19th 2011, and my ultimate target is the North Face 100 km Blue Mountain Run, New South Wales May 14th 2011- apparently this is reeeaaallly hard!
I will be wearing a running shirt for the BBCA (Beat Bowel Cancer Aotearoa) charity and if you can donate to this worthwhile cause through their website, that will give extra purpose to my running and will make me more likely to reach that finish line .
The web address is:-
http://www.beatbowelcancer.org.nz/bbca/
I will endeavour to update this blog from time to time with odd training exploits and other snippets as each event gets closer.
Kia Kaha.
