He’s running a marathon a day — while holding down a day job — to raise money for Movember.
Brownie says he was inspired to do it by fellow members of Industrial Fitness gym, which does a fundraising challenge for the men’s health awareness campaign each year.
"I thought I’d try and get involved ... I’m turning 30 [yesterday], so I thought ‘what better way to bring in your 30s than 30 marathons?’
"It turns out there’s 30 days in November, so it all sort of lined up."
An ultramarathon and Hyrox competitor — a gym-based sport that combines running with functional workout stations — he reckons the challenge will be as much mental as physical.
"You’ve got to prepare yourself for four or five hours a day of running, as well as the logistics of it.
"And try to prevent injuries, because I’ll be running over 1260km in total."
So far, he’s been knocking off the 42.2km in the mornings, before going to work.
His job, managing the local outlet of his family’s 86-year-old mattress business with his brother, gives him some flexibility with his hours.
He’s enjoyed a nice weather window since starting on Saturday, but intends to retreat to the gym and run on a treadmill if it’s too wet or windy.
"I’m keeping it nice and slow, so the body doesn’t blow up too early.
"When you wake up in the morning, your joints feel it, but once you start running they seem to oil up a bit and feel fine ... and I’ve got no blisters yet."
Brownie moved to Queenstown about 18 months ago, and loves the lifestyle the resort allows, running the hill trails with his dog and competing in events like the Arrowtown Backyard Ultra, Shotover Moonlight Mountain Marathon and Northburn 100.
He’ll run in next Saturday’s Queenstown Marathon, which will mark the halfway point in his Movember mission.
With donations already closing in on his initial target of $5000, he’s considering raising his goal to $10,000.
- To support Jack Brownie’s fundraising goal, search for his name on the Movember website.
