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| NZer completes seven marathons in seven days |
| Friday, 11 December 2009 03:46 |
Kiwi adventurer Malcolm Law has succeeded in notching up a world first by running 360km in 66 hours to complete the epic Mizone 7 in 7 challenge. Law ran New Zealand’s seven internationally renowned ‘Great Walks’ in seven consecutive days to raise money for the Leukaemia & Blood Foundation of NZ (LBF). The challenge was the equivalent of running nine off-road marathons, and climbing Mt Cook (New Zealand’s highest mountain) twice. Law, an Auckland market researcher, was joined by support runners on each of the seven legs and said he was ecstatic and on cloud nine after the challenge. "I cannot begin to describe how elated I feel. This has been the best seven days of my life," Law said. Personal mission The 7 in 7 challenge, which took runners through some of New Zealand’s most picturesque but difficult terrain, started out from Lake Waikaremoana in the North Island on 29 November and ended in Fiordland in the South Island on 5 December. As well as the challenge of running long distances every day, one after the other, Law had to endure the logistics of getting from one location to another and coping with sleep deprivation. Having lost his brother to leukaemia in 1969, the challenge was a personal mission for Law who took a one-year sabbatical with the aim of raising enough money to make a difference for patients and families living with blood-related illness. Double the money He set a goal of raising NZ$50,000 but by the end of the challenge had received $73,000 with donations still coming in to the LBF. "The Mizone 7 in 7 Challenge was by no means easy, but the pain can't be compared to what we went through when my brother fell sick. When Alan died I decided that one day I would dedicate myself to doing something momentous to help other families whose lives are affected by this cruel disease, now I have done part of it, but my job doesn't end here," says Law. "I am very proud of my effort, which could never have been achieved without the generosity and support of so many New Zealanders. The money raised has surpassed any of my expectations," he said. No mean feat The Mizone 7 in 7 began at Lake Waikaremoana (42.7km) and travelled through Tongariro Northern Circuit (41km), Abel Tasman Coast Track (51.9km), Heaphy Track (78.4km), Routeburn Track (32.1km), Milford Track (53.5km), and finished at the Kepler Track (60.1km) where Law was a competitor in the annual Kepler Challenge mountain race last night. Law was joined by 17 support runners who each completed a leg of the challenge. The 13 men and four women ranged in age from 23 to 64, and Law said some were experienced runners, others were not, but all were legends," he said. Patient support All funds generated by the Mizone 7 in 7 Challenge will go to the Leukaemia & Blood Foundation's Patient Support Service, providing personalised support for patients and families living with leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and other blood related conditions. The service includes regular visits, phone or email contact as well as face-to-face education and an online forum. Pru Etcheverry, LBF executive director, said the organisation was overwhelmed by Law's dedication to the cause and the support the challenge had received from greater New Zealand. "Malcolm is astonishing, we are amazed by what he set out to do as a challenge and what he has achieved. We are so grateful to him," she said. Article provided by newzealand.com |
