It's going to hurt!

It’s been a while!

malcolmlaw — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:15:27 +0000

Where did the last 3 months go? I’m still looking back and savouring the many great highlights of the 7in7 Challenge, and reliving many as we start to edit together many hours of footage to make the definitive film. Once completed this will be taken on a nationwide tour so I am looking forward to seeing many of the supporters who offered so much encouragement last year.

And looking forward is now very much what I’m doing. As you may already know I have taken the big decision that the 7in7 Challenge is to live on as an annual event. My hope is that it will inspire many hundreds, even thousands, of people to push their own personal limits while fundraising to help others in need. It will continue to be about Ordinary people achieving Extraordinary things, but it will be far less focused on the aspirations of a single person and far more about lots of people achieving extraordinary things together.

The wonderful thing about the 7in7 concept is its flexibility – so many great adventures can be brought together into an event of this name. So over the next few years you can expect to see something new each time. Running the 7 Great Walks in 7 Days has been done – but the future possibilities are endless!

Right now I am planning the 2010 Challenge and more details will be released as soon as possible. What I do know is that it will be based around 7 iconic runs. But at least one of these runs will offer the opportunity for teams of people to complete it as a relay, so bringing it more within reach of runners more sane than myself. It will be another huge undertaking, and will once again aim to raise huge amounts of money for the Leukaemia & Blood Foundation of NZ.

Work on a new website will commence soon so keep your eyes out for this. It will be the ‘go to’ place for all information concerning the Challenge. It is my big hope that many of you who supported my crazy dream last year, and helped in so many ways to make it a reality, will be able to join in with this year’s all-new 7in7 Challenge. So strap on those running shoes and get training guys!

Thanks again to each and every one of you,

Mal

The Perfect End to a Perfect Week

malcolmlaw — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:34:54 +0000

It’s almost 3 days since I crossed the line at the Kepler Challenge having completed the last stage of my Mizone 7in7 Challenge in just a shade over 10 hours. I had thought that by now I would be able to order my thoughts on a momentous week, but it seems adrenalin and endorphins are still pumping around my body and brain, making it difficult to record all the mass of emotions that are flooding me. I am still on the biggest high of my life; yet to come crashing back down to earth; ‘real life’ will never be the same again and the prospect of a return to it does not fill me with glee right now!

So what can I say about the final day? Well, it was extremely special. The alarm went before 5 a.m. so I could finish preparations and get to the start line of the Kepler Challenge. The organisers gave me the honour of being official starter for this, the 22^nd running of the iconic event. So at just after 6 a.m. I sounded the horn and stood my ground while 250 runners passed by. Bringing up the rear were my own group of support runners – Wade, Graeme, Guy, Karen, Alistair and Jeff – all of whom had played a huge part in the week by accompanying me on one of the earlier days. My only regret was that Pete and Greg could not join us as illness and injury meant they had to withdraw.

So we were a bunch of 7 runners doing the 7^th day of 7in7 together. All kitted out in our red icebreaker shirts (thanks to Bivouac) we made a readily identifiable team and this drew great support from other competitors and race volunteers alike throughout the day.

The Hanging Valley 'Hotel'

The first half hour was a gentle run along smooth, soft beech forest trail to Brod Bay where the first drink station was found, and the massive climb to Mt. Luxmore began. Spirits were high. Running with the tail end of the field meant that everybody had time for some light-hearted banter and to encourage me on the way. Despite the ravages of the previous 6 days my body was feeling good, albeit a little underpowered on the 1 ½ climb to Luxmore Hut. There we had our gear checked and I had the novel experience of doing a mid-race interview with a TV cameraman!

The section beyond Luxmore Hut has to be one of the greatest trail running experiences in the world. It took us a little over 2 hours to continue the climb up on to the ridge, but once there the views were astonishing. There is nothing to beat running single track along an alpine ridge, mountains patch-worked with snow and sparkling waters down below. Our spirits, already high, soared to new levels. We took our time, stopping to get photos and video clips as we went. We even had time to chat with a friendly kea (NZ’s ‘clown of the mountains’ alpine parrot) who sat perched on his rock, adding his squawks to the encouraging cries of our fellow competitors. The carnival was now in full flow!

Iris Burn drinks station

At the end of the ridge we re-fuelled at the ‘Hanging Valley Hotel’ before beginning the knee-jerking 900 metre descent to Iris Burn. This is the section that puts pay to many runners’ aspirations for a quick time as a fast descent can totally destroy even the strongest pair of legs. So we made our way down cautiously, singing “we’ve got 25 switchbacks left to go….” as we went. Unfortunately, our most experienced Kepler competitor, Alistair, has rose-tinted memories of this descent and underestimated the number of switchback turns in the track by at least 100!

Once back on the ‘flat’ (a term that is relative, rather than absolute) we were greeted in fine style by the race volunteers at Iris Burn drink station. They had festooned the track with balloons and decked everything out in Christmas decorations. Even Santa was there, handing out drinks and lots of “yo ho ho” style encouragement. No chance of our morale dropping here, despite the fact that we were not yet quite half way and the legendary mind games of the final 32 kms were about to begin.

It's done! The celebrations begin!

We maintained our steady, slow pace as we followed the Iris Burn down through beautiful mixed beech forest through Big Slip and Rocky Point. The banter never let up for a moment, the singing (if you can call it that!) kept breaking out, and the party atmosphere prevailed. But by the time we reached Moturau Hut , almost 7 hours into the race, I was starting to feel the cumulative effects of almost 350kms of running. The twenty minutes before reaching the smiley-faced, good humoured volunteers at this drink station were a struggle for me and I suspected the final 16kms were going to be hellish. But it’s amazing what a 5 minute sit down, a drink and some food, and the support of a great bunch of mates can do….. as we left the drink station I could feel my energy levels rising, and by the time we reached the next aid station at Rainbow Reach I was feeling almost as fresh as I did on Day One.

My morale was given a further double boost here. Amongst the large crowd of well-wishers was the smiling face of my 12-year old son Beinn, who gave his sweaty dad a huge hug that fired me up even more. And good mate Pete, who had been too ill to do the entire run, joined us for the final stage of the day.

The greatest team of supporters EVER

Now all that was left was 10 kms of trail. It is a stretch that I had frequently visualised during training, expecting this to be a very painful crawl that would only be possible with a massive effort of will and the support of my buddies. But to my amazement I suddenly found fresh legs! I started running the uphills again, my stride lengthened, my cadence picked up, and before I knew it I was in race mode and thinking of cracking the 10 hour mark. Quite where this burst of energy came from I’m not sure, but I do know that many people, both in NZ and overseas, had promised they would think of me at this time and send “good vibes” my way. So I’d like to think it was this spiritual energy, travelling from all corners of the globe, to this enchanted corner of Fiordland that drove me on over these final kilometres.

Tears of joy - sharing a great moment with Sal

With just a kilometre to go (huge cheers from us all at this point!) and the sound of the finish line commentary ringing loud in our ears, I was joined again by Beinn who ran hand in hand with his dad for the final minutes. It was always going to be a special moment but this was the icing on the cake. Around the final bend and there, just ahead was the finish line. My memory of it now is something of a blur but I do recall a fantastic reception from hundreds of people and seeing my wife Sally, already in tears, waiting with open arms. I fell into her embrace and we cried happy tears together, just as we had on our wedding day. It was a beautiful moment, broken only by the sound of popping corks and the spray of frothy bubbles, as the celebrations broke out in style.

In loving memory of Jonathon Alan Law, 1955 - 1969. This one was for you bro'

And so the 7in7 had been accomplished. It was the fulfilment of a lifelong dream to do a “world first” adventure. For too long my lack of self belief had told me that such adventures were only for fitter, stronger, mentally tougher people; this same lack of belief told me that my role was to read about these adventures, not live them. But I had finally proven that even someone of totally average abilities can achieve the seemingly extraordinary. In my case this was made easier by the desire to honour the memory of my brother Alan, who accompanied me every step of the way, both in spirit and as a photo around my neck. It was made easier by the passionate desire to raise money for a great cause, the Leukaemia & Blood Foundation. And finally it was made easier (and lots more FUN) by the love and support of so many fantastic people – friends old and new, my immediate and extended family, and all the people that we met on our epic 360km journey through our little slice of paradise. My heartfelt thanks go out to every single one of you that in some way helped this one mad old bugger fulfil a dream and hopefully make a difference to people less fortunate. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. It was the greatest week of my life!

PS The Challenge is done, but the fundraising continues. I will keep posting these news updates and let you know how we are getting on as we strive to reach the magic $100,000 mark. And you can check out these clips of TV coverage of 7in7:

http://tvnz.co.nz/breakfast-news/ultra-marathon-man-4-10-3231090/video.xhtml

http://www.3news.co.nz/Nine-marathons-in-seven-days—for-a-good-cause/tabid/317/articleID/132884/cat/70/Default.aspx

I did it ….

robcooke — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:58:56 +0000

360 km’s, 66 hours of running and it’s done. I cannot begin to describe how elated I feel. Thankyou all for your support – I’m off to celebrate now, but when it has all sunk in I will let you all in on the final day, but for now here’s a photo that sums up the Kepler Challenge and The “7 in 7″ …. the best seven days of my life.

We’re almost there… only one to go

robcooke — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 08:04:48 +0000

It was a day of beautiful running and beautiful company, Rob, Alastair and I spent the night at the start of the Milford Track at the Glade Lodge and were woken with banana caramel porridge – which set us up for a 7am start. The weather was glorious as we headed up the McKinnon Pass – we reached the summit in great time – 4 hours and twenty five minutes, and there I was able to spend 15 minutes to take in the scenery and think about Alan and this made the whole thing an incredibly emotional experience. At the summit we were also given our highest altitude donation – Brian from Canada gave us $20. We also had the pleasure of meeting Bruce – who was walking Milford Track to tick it off his bucket list as he is sadly suffering from prostate cancer – he was a real inspiration. Down the other side was a fast assent – but the last 20 km’s were alot harder on the knees and ankles than we had anticipated. At the end we were met by our fantastic support crew and it was so nice to see so many beautiful friendly faces after 9 and three quarter hours. We then jumped in our Roadcraft Camper and drove from Milford To Te Anau just in time for the Kepler Challenge Briefing – it was an amazing moment as there was a standing ovation from all of the athletes as we walked in. Once again the support is outstanding. Roll on tomorrow, Day 7 .. the final day of the challenge.

5 down and two to go….

robcooke — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 07:55:27 +0000

Can you believe it, I’ve knocked off day 5 – Seven and a half hours and The Routeburn is done and that leaves the Milford Track and the Kepler Challenge. I now feel I am so close to finishing the daunting task I set out to complete. Today was a cracker – The Routeburn is one of the shortest tracks – but also one of the steepest, and being shorter meant we had time to soak it all in. It’s technically a bit tricky in places and quite a rugged track – but we took time to smell the roses and stopped for photos and to spread the word of “”7 in 7″. The sky was blue, the views were extraordinary and the company was great! We even ran in to the snow line at one point, magic. Our other support crew, The Trampers, were amazing, (as they have been throughout this whole endeavour) they cheer and clap us along – and seem to know all about it – I think we have the local walking guides to thank for that. It means alot on a personal level but also for the charity as people are still donating from all over the country and the world. My running partners were all in fine form, John, Kevin and Hazel – great bunch of people and who better to spend the day in paradise with. John’s pretty accomplished with a camera so I am hoping some of the footage and photos will do the scenery justice. I’m definately tired – but the body is still holding out, that’s also thanks to my marvellous physio Tim Joyce who has been texting every day from Auckland with pearls of wisdom. Another big day tomorrow – The Milford Track – 53.5 km. Can’t wait!

12 hours and 45 minutes

robcooke — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:23:16 +0000

Well the crux of the whole “7 in 7″ is done – The Heaphy Track – the longest and possibly the hardest track of them all has been conquered. My support runner Jeff and I set off in the dark at 3.45 am this morning – much to the annoyance of our hut mates , sorry guys! The beggining of the run was quite magical, cool, misty conditions and perfect for running. About an hour later still in the dark we were joined by a feathered friend – a kiwi in the bush, a fleeting glimpse – but a glimpse none the less and what a rare treat. There were some desperate moments over the course of this run – I had a fall that was just down to tiredness and losing concentration but luckily no injuries. The midpoint of the Heaphy Track was a momentous moment – We had reached the half way mark in the challenge. Unfortunately I wasn’t in a great state to enjoy it. It was at that point I took my first drugs of the trip – some painkillers! I was only six hours in and I was in a world of pain – mainly my feet – the constant jarring is making them unbelievably sore. I really have to thank my support runner today – Jeff was incredible, he carried my pack for a couple of hours which was a godsend. Then last but not least our chopper pilot Steve, who met us 6 kilometres from the end of the track and took my pack again … what a lifesaver. After a gruelling 12 hours and forty five minutes of running we were done. The three hour helicopter ride to Glenorchy to the next stage was a stunner and a great way to finish the day, it was just what the doctor ordered. The sweeping views along the West Coast at dusk were unbelievably beautiful and uplifting. Now for some food, some desperately needed sleep and a shorter run, The Routeburn, to look forward to – one of the easy ones (yeah right)

Day three, some solid km’s under my feet

robcooke — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:30:21 +0000

Today was a day of highs and a few lows … the lack of sleep last night meant today was mentally tough, and the first couple of hours running in the pouring rain certainly didn’t help . The 51.9 km track of the Abel Tasman is deceiving – most think it is the easiest of the Seven Great Walks – but in fact the last part of the track is often not tramped – I checked the stats on one of the final hills and we had 1,345 meters of assent over the course of the day .. an accumulation of countless headland ups and downs. By midday the sun was out and there were blue skies, the run was stunning with those beautiful beaches .. if only we had a bit more time to take a dip! Two great moments punctuated the run – The first a school group who knew about “7 in 7″, they lined the track high fiving us all as we went past, what an amazing feeling. The other was care of one of my support team, Koo, whose partner in true Kiwi style did something so unique and fabulous it blew us all away. As we rounded into Totaranui, Grant had laid out the most exquisite picnic on a picnic table – we felt like Kings, I am pretty sure food has never tasted so good. I always said this run would be more mental than physical as the days passed – I think I”m getting to about 60 percent physical and forty percent mental – so I’m still in fine form. I’m delighted with how my body is coping, my knees – my weak point, are hanging in there. All the same I was thrilled to see the support van at the end of the track after almost nine hours – and the group of extra spectators who had come to cheer us on. Another treat .. they’d stuffed the fundraising bucket with spare coins … you are a generous lot .. now to concentrate on tomorrow “The Heaphy Track” 78.4 km’s

Day Two – Batten Down the Hatches

robcooke — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:06:43 +0000

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 we would be heading into the steepest terrain of any of the seven runs in the worst weather, and when it hit it was hold on for dear life. Icy 50 km/hour winds followed by hail dogged our progress as we fought our way up the huge scree slopes, definitely not for the faint hearted. The last section of the run is known as “The Ditch”and the torrential rain had turned the track in to a torrent of water – picture part running part canyoning for an hour and a half and you would be close. All up the run took eight and a half hours – an hour more than we had hoped for – but I still rated it – it was an adventure. My fellow runners, Graeme, Greg and Lisa were guardian angels and everyone finished up unscathed despite the freezing temperatures. By the time we wound up, my trusty side-kick Sal had been trying to make alternative plans to get us to leg three – The Abel Tasman Coastal Track – as the shocking weather had grounded the plane. We had Plan B – to drive to Taihape and meet the pilot there and hope to hit clear skies. A moment of elation when we arrived to the sun shining was soon dashed as the pilot had just been told another big front was on the way. So, Plan C .. we drove to Wellington – all the while on the phone working out the best options – take the risk and fly at 6am in the morning on Sounds Air or get the ferry tonight. We’ve decided to play it safe and we’re leaving on the 9pm ferry to Picton – arriving at midnight – then a five am start in the morning to get to the start of the track. Thanks to everyone who has been texting and sending messages – keep them coming – they make my day .. and a massive thanks to The Park Travellers Lodge, National Park who last night held an auction to support “7 in 7”and raised a whopping three and a half thousand dollars … and fed and watered us and even got up at 5am to make us breakfast and coffee … legends.

Follow me

robcooke — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 08:24:37 +0000

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

robcooke — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 08:02:33 +0000

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 expected – but no injuries and still feeling strong. I was running with my support crew, Wade, Paul and Ash and as usual the breath taking scenery from the high bluff was enough to keep us rolling along at a good pace. The most incredible part was that word had obviously got around the tramping fraternity about “7 in 7″ and we were clapped and supported along the track… one couple actually shouted to us they had pledged a donation – how awesome is that! Now it’s time for some food and a bit of shut eye before we kick off run number two The Tongariro Northern Circuit. The weather God’s have been kind so far … fingers crossed. I’m definitely earning my keep, so keep the donations coming in, we’ve almost raised $61,000 …. your support is the fuel that is keeping me going.