Former Dunedin runner William Tokona has his mind firmly set
on running the Marathon de Sables in April after completing
five marathons in five cities in five days.
He completed the mammoth endurance run with Wellington
running buddy Greig Rightford last week to raise $50,000 for
the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research in Wellington
which conducts research into cures or vaccines for diseases
and conditions such as arthritis, asthma and cancer.
While the pair looked and felt exhausted by the final
marathon, Mr Tokona said they managed to complete all five
marathons in five days in creditable times.
Their first marathon was in Dunedin last Monday when they ran
42km in 4hr 10min.
On the following days, they ran the distance in Christchurch
in 4hr 11min, Auckland in 4hr 8min, Rotorua in 4hr 23min and
Wellington in 3hr 45min.
Now, they have their sights set on the Marathon de Sables - a
243km marathon across the Sahara Desert, run in six stages
over seven days.
Mr Rightford said they had used the five marathons in five
days to prepare for the ultra marathon.
- john.lewis@odt.co.nz
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