High Five-O Challenge
Running The High Five-O Challenge
Rob Howard / 05.02.2015
New Zealand runner Mal Law is about to set off on his most audacious fund raising challenge to date – the Partners Life High Five-0 Challenge.
His aim is to run 50 off-road marathons in 50 days as he climbs 50 of the highest peaks in New Zealand. With no planned rest days he expects to be on his feet for 10 hours per day, climbing a total of more 100,000m before the end of his journey. It’s taken two years to plan the trip and the 54 year old athlete will be accompanied by over 300 volunteer runners as he makes his way around the country.
The challenge starts on Sat. Feb 7th at the internationally acclaimed Tarawera Ultramarathon at Rotorua where Mal will complete part of the course, then take a detour up Mount Rangitoto. He will finish 50 days later after running in the Partners Life Dual Marathon on Rangitoto and Mototapu islands.
It’s a challenge which has been called “the most audacious feat of endurance ever attempted on NZ soil” and you can follow Mal’s progress live throughout on his website at http://www.high50.org.nz and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/high50challenge
Mal is a well known fundraiser from his previous challenges and on the High Five-O Challenge is raising funds for The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, a cause which is very close to his heart after his brother in law, Max, who suffered mental ill health committed suicide, and due to his own experience of depression.
“I know from personal experience that the combination of regular exercise, goal setting, and time in the Great Outdoors, is a powerful preventative cocktail – I think of them as health supplements for my brain – and so the connection between my Challenge and the Cause is strong and direct,” he said.
Through a combination of sponsorships (each day is sponsored and each accompanying runner has their own fund raiser page) he has already succeeded in passing his initial $250,000 fund raising target and is now aiming at $400,000. You can donate on the website, where are many moving blogs from those who have suffered from mental health problems.
Speaking about the challenge ahead he said, “The question I have been asked most frequently about the High Five-0 (other than "are you mad?") is ‘can it really be done – is this possible?’ The honest answer to that is "I really don't know" But if I knew for sure that I could do it, it would be pointless, right? Where would be the challenge in that?
And that's why it's personal too. Yes, I want to do it for Mental Health – to spread positive messages about how to manage our mental wellbeing and raise a massive amount of money so the MHF can carry on their fantastic work – but I also want to do it for me, to prove that I can - to show once again that ordinary people really can achieve extraordinary things.”
We will be following Mal’s progress during the High Five-O Challenge and SleepMonsters Editor Rob Howard will be meeting up with him on Day 17 of the challenge on his ascent of Dragonfly Peak in the Aspiring National Park, which is described as, “one of the toughest, but also most beautiful days of the entire Challenge”.
This day of the challenge is sponsored by Lake Wanaka, which is Mal’s home town, and he will be passing through between the Challenge Wanaka triathlon weekend and the start of the World Series Godzone Adventure Race.
SleepMonsters
