Charity runner to climb 50 peaks in 50 days

Most people would not consider climbing Mount Everest. Mal Law is not most people.

At 54-years-old, Law said over 50 days he would ascend more than 100,000 metres - the equivalent of doing Mt. Everest from sea level almost 12 times; 530 ascents of the Sky Tower; or 27 Mount Cooks.

He's doing it all to raise $250,000 for the Mental Health Foundation.

With no rest days and little time to recover, his High Five-0 Challenge would be a scary, but a "massively exciting challenge", he said.

"It's not impossible. Whether it is possible for me I am going to find out. I don't know whether I can do it, but I am going to give it a bloody good go and I am extremely dogged - it will take a lot to stop me.

"If I was going to do something I knew I could do, it wouldn't be much of a challenge."

Law starts his journey on January 31 and will be in the Waikato in March, climbing Pirongia on March 20, Maungatautari the day after and Te Aroha on the 23rd.

His ambassador for the Waikato and manager of Jetts Fitness in Te Awamutu, Sarah Tunnicliffe, is trying to gather more support-runners for Pirongia.

"Support-runners basically help keep him going, just moral support. He's got the level of fitness he needs but he has got to maintain that. It's absolutely huge.

"If you think of what marathon runners would do, he's doing 50 in a row and they are all involved peaks. The sheer level of endurance, the fitness level he has attained and to build in the height training... it's really hard to comprehend and he has to maintain that level without injury."

Tunnicliffe was going to run Pirongia with him but has put her plans on hold due to her own knee injury.

"It's 90% mental and the rest is in your head. It's not just 50 days where he has to get up and go. It's the years of training beforehand."

Tunnicliffe lost her 16-year-old nephew to suicide so the cause resonates with her.

"A lot of people don't realise the benefits of exercise on mental health and that of consistency. I'm also in the fitness industry and raising your heart rate is a natural anti-depressant."

Law describes himself as Chief Nutter which Tunnicliffe says is a fitting title.

"I just think he is amazing. I can't imagine how much he has had to go through. What is he going to do next?"

The Mental Health Foundation seems the perfect match for Law (and his support-runners) to fundraise for.

"My main reason is I lost my brother-in-law who committed suicide a number of years ago. I was the unfortunate person who found him and for a long time I wanted to do something major for that."

For Law though, it's more than just raising money.

"I have a real personal interest in reducing the stigma around mental health and I know running and getting into the outdoors - and all the things this challenge is about - is a fantastic way of managing mental wellbeing. A lot of runners use it for that reason."

For more information, visit high50.org.nz