A marketing professor and ultra-marathon runner is running non-stop for 24 hours in Wellington to support the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation.
Ultra-marathon runner Nick Ashill. Photo: Supplied
Nick Ashill set off at 9am today on a six kilometre loop from his workplace at Victoria University Business School by the railway station, along the waterfront to Te Papa and back through town.
He will keep going, except for food stops, until nine tomorrow morning.
Ashill said he signed up to be part of the foundation's Breathe Better September to make a difference to the 700,000 New Zealanders living with respiratory disease.
"I have a personal connection to respiratory disease, having lost my mum to pulmonary fibrosis in 2017," he said. "I also love running, and am looking forward to the physical challenge."
He said he was aiming for an average pace of around 8 or 9km an hour, so he does not get too tired.
"If I can stay fairly slow that's good," he says, "The last ten hours will be tricky, with all the lactic acid buildup in my legs. I'm hopeful that as many people as possible can join me to keep the momentum going."