Will the Mud Monster be hungry on Friday? I'm hoping not!

This Friday I’ll be running the rough, tough, physically demanding 75 km long Hillary Trail and I’m a bag of nerves. I’m the kind of nervous that I usually am only before a big race – and yet this isn’t a race. At least not against other people, just against myself. And against the clock.

I’ve done this run three times before and I am well prepared. Meticulously prepared in fact. I have a well thought out plan, a great group of runners for company and the best support love can buy (thanks Sally). And yet I still feel super-nervous. I’ve never run with this kind of pressure before.

The pressure comes from chasing a personal best time, knowing that every minute counts. Every minute counts because every one of them that I can shave off my previous best (13hrs 50 mins) is currently worth about $40 for the Mental Health Foundation NZ. That’s the total value of pledges made by friends who are sponsoring this attempt. It means that if I can knock an hour off my PB (as I hope to do) I’ll raise some $2,400. But if things don’t go so well then the sum raised will be considerably less. For a goal-driven person like myself this provides powerful motivation, but pressure too!

Circumstances have not been kind in the lead up. Over the last couple of days I’ve developed a nasty head cold (way worse than man flu I promise you!) and the weather forecast just keeps getting more desperate. Wet, greasy trails will slow me down and so the anxiety builds each time I look at Metvuw.

If this is starting to sound like a plea for sympathy it’s not. Actually, it’s a plea to pile even more pressure on me! Here’s how you can do that:

• You can sponsor me 50c or $1 (or whatever amount you choose) for each minute that I can shave off my PB. If you like you can cap the sum sponsored so I don’t bankrupt you in the unlikely case that I run faster than anticipated. Please email your pledges to mal@runningwildnz.com stating how much per minute you’d like to sponsor me for, and any cap that you’d like to put on it. On completing the run I’ll contact you to let you know how I got on and give you details of how to make your donation. Please note that 100% of money raised will go the Mental Health Foundation of NZ as part of my CoastPathRun fundraising drive. This Hillary Trail run is after all just a small part of my grueling training for this even more epic challenge in June.

If you can’t do that then please try a sun dance instead. Thanks for your support, however it is shown.

Cheers,

Mal