Day Two – Batten Down the Hatches
A shocking weather forecast meant we hit the Tongariro Northern Circuit earlier than planned and all started out well. But tiredness makes you do some funny things and 20 minutes in we realised that we had started the circuit the wrong way round – no way were we going to back track! Unfortunately that meant [...]
Follow me
Remember that you can track me via Satelite using my SPOT – a Satellite Tracking device that I will have with me on all of the runs. Click here
One Down, Six to go
What a run … The anticipation was getting too much and it was fantastic to tick one race off the list. Waikaremoana is a tricky track to walk let alone run – technically it’s a challenge and with temperatures climbing in to the late 20′s it was tough. The run was definitely harder than I [...]
Wagons roll!
About to hit the southern motorway – 7in7 is on the road! Thanks to everyone for the awesome show of support over the last 9 months and in particular over the last few days. Ultreya!
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2…..
Two days to go….. and it’s been a big one. The alarm went early so we could get to TVNZ in time for my maiden live TV performance. Very interesting to get behind the scenes and all good publicity for the cause. Check it out at http://tinyurl.com/y8ka25e Then lots of last minute logistics and packing. [...]
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3….
3 days to go…. the calm that has held sway over 7in7 HQ over the past few days almost cracked today. It was full-on from start to finish and I have RSI in my fingers from banging out so many “thank you” emails as the donations continued to pour in. The total raised now stands at [...]
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4….
4 days to go…. and a good time to publicly express my enormous THANKS to 17 special people without whom the 7in7 might just be possible, but it would be one hell of a lot less fun! These are my support runners – they are scattered from Kerikeri to Christchurch and many points in-between; they [...]
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5…..
5 days to go and the buzz is really building. Today I had my final massage, a meeting with the documentary team and then picked up our ever-so-cool Roadcraft Basejumpers and took them off for signwriting. In between all this I counted money… lots of it… the fundraising site has been running red hot so [...]
10, 9, 8, 7, 6……
6 days to go. I’m feeling strangely calm and relaxed about it all, but not so sure this will last all the way through to Sunday! Have a couple of busy days ahead as we start to pack, and then on Friday I have my live TV appearance – Breakfast on TV1 at 8.40am on [...]
10, 9, 8, 7…..
This time next week I’ll be 1/7 of the way through the Challenge. It seems to have taken so long to reach this point – planning started in January – that it’s hard to believe that it’s now this close. With the organisational side of things falling nicely in to place ( I think!) I [...]
10, 9, 8…….
8 days to go….. a quiet day, no running. In fact in the last 7 days I have only run a total of 1hr 10mins – not so much a taper as an abrupt finish! I’m planning a wee outing in Cornwall Park tomorrow, nice & easy does it, and a few more ’round the block’ [...]
10, 9……..
9 days to go…. another busy day at 7in7 HQ, but a sense of calm and order starting to sneak in to things… hey, I might even get a proper night’s sleep before we start! We’re all getting into the spirit of things, parading the 7in7 tee shirts at every opportunity, even our border collie [...]
10……
The count down has commenced….. 10 days to go…. a good time to reflect on the hundreds of people who have helped make my rather crazy dream a reality. I can’t possibly single out everyone, but today I want to recognise the contribution of Grant Watson, co-owner of the Park Lodge, National Park. Grant was [...]
Donating made easy
I have spreadsheetitis, double vision, and am exhausted and about to collapse into bed. But before I do, just a quick reminder that I am writing a series of blogs on Yahoo!Xtra about the 7in7 Challenge. Each time anyone reads one of these Yahoo!Xtra donate valuable money (about 10c) to the cause. We have already [...]
If at first you succeed….
Happy, happy days here at 7in7 HQ. The biggest single goal that we have been striving to achieve through the 7in7 Challenge is the raising of at least $50,000 for the Leukaemia & Blood Foundation….. and today we crossed that threshold! Thanks to the generous support of more than 600 Friends of the Challenge we [...]
How to follow
I have just added a new page to the 7in7 website that provides information on how to follow progress once we are underway. Check out http://7in7.org.nz/follow-me/ for all the options, including the ever-so-cool satellite tracking device called SPOT. Happy following – I hope it doesn’t hurt!
All go at 7in7 HQ
7in7 HQ – originally a corner of the home office – is now spreading over the entire house. There are plastic boxes and gear strewn everywhere. There are endless ‘to do’ lists floating around (including one that is headed ”lists to make”!) There are phone calls and emails coming in and out as we try to [...]
We'll get there, whatever it takes…
We’re closing in fast on our $50,000 fundraising target – currently the pot stands at just over $47,500! But there’s always new ways of generating funds, and here’s another…. I have recently been given 2 great gifts to auction off. These are now listed on Trademe. They are a genuine Breakers basketball singlet autographed by [...]
The last long training run
Just two weeks to go before the 7in7 starts with a 43km run around the beautiful Lake Waikaremoana. Time to start tapering I think, but first there was the little matter of helping out my good friends at Total Sport by being tail-end charlie on the last 30+ kms of the West Coaster marathon yesterday. [...]
Big thanks to Big FM
Earlier this week I found myself in the unfamiliar environs of the recording studio, laying down my dulcet (?) tones to record a series of ads for the 7in7. This opportunity came about thanks to the big-hearted team at 106.2 Big FM who have donated over a hundred 30 sec ad spots for us to [...]
Which one would you run?
Just for a bit of fun I have set up a new poll, asking the question “which of the 7 Great Walks would YOU most like to run?”…. and the option of “none” HAS been included! Check it out at http://7in7.org.nz/polls/
What a day!
From dawn to dusk it’s been a manic day here at 7in7 HQ. Media interviews, filming at the gym, logistics meetings and even a run back to the gym for my weekly massage. Then came a double wammy of great news… In yesterday’s blog I mentioned Dock Bay Lodge, Te Anau had made a very [...]
Ultreya!
Yet again I have been humbled by the kind thoughts of strangers. Over the past few days I’ve had a flood of supportive emails from people previously unknown to me. Two more came today…. one from Friend of the Challenge Lay Lin who signed off with a hearty “Ultreya! Malcolm”, which in medieval Spanish apparently means [...]
The Final Push: Day 4
If ever I needed reminding that completing the 7in7 will be 80% mental and 20% physical, then today provided the reminder. I did NOT want to get out of bed at 7a.m. and I did NOT want to head out into the stiff, cold south-westerly squalls that were flinging rain almost horizontally across the front [...]
