Runner plans to cover 5000km this year

This year Malcolm Law found himself without any “massive goals”, something that would not overly worry many folk.

But Law set himself a personal goal – to run no less than 5000km in the 12 months.

The Westmere runner lives for taking part in big, multi-day fundraisers but realising he did not have any of those planned for this year, he made the pledge to run anyway.

“I knew I’d do a couple of events but they in themselves are not what I live for.

“I needed something to get me out the door each morning and  keep me motivated so I just decided ‘right, I’m guna run every day this year and I’m guna try and run further than I’ve ever done any year before’,” Law  says.

With the recent Tarawera Ultra Marathon sure to add mileage to his 5000km target, Law is already looking ahead to his next events.

He is taking part in the Northface 100 run in Sydney’s Blue Mountains in May and then, in September, he is the race ambassador for the Yurrebilla Trail Ultra, a 56km run near Adelaide.

Law  lost his only brother to leukaemia when he was just nine years old.

Over the years he has liked the idea of doing something he could dedicate to his brother and use as a fundraiser for a leukaemia-related charity.

In addition to fundraising regularly for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand, he has now written a book about his brother’s death and the personal challenge that followed.

One Step Beyond tells how Law took on the 7in7 challenge, running seven of New Zealand’s great tracks in just seven days.

“It’s basically a year long journey from how I prepared, how I organised and just everything that happened in the lead up.  The second half talks about each of the seven runs,” Law says.

“It has ended up being a life-changing experience.  When I first thought of it, I had decided to have some time off from my corporate life.

“I became so obsessed with the 7in7 challenge that it became my full time, unpaid job for a year.

“I just loved doing it and I couldn’t believe how satisfying it was to have done something like that.”

Following the 7in7 challenge, Mr Law decided not to return to the corporate world.

Instead, he has decided to concentrate on his own business, Running Wild, which customises and organises trail runs and training camps for runners, locals and tourists around the country.

“You get to a certain point in life where you go ‘am I just guna carry on doing what I’ve always done’ or are you at some point guna say ‘enough’s enough’ and pursue what you’re really passionate about.

“Fortunately it’s now done and no regrets.”

One Step Beyond by Malcolm Law is on sale now from all good book stores or online www.runningwildnz.com, $30.  A donation from the sale of each book will be donated to charity.

See www.leukaemia.org.nz for more information.