The idea for the run was born out of a desire to visit his homeland, something he had not done for five years. “I thought if I’m going to travel up New Zealand and have a good look around, I want to go all different places and see my friends on the way up,” he said in a press release.
Without a car and little desire to bike like a tourist, that left walking or running. Having finished a few 100-km runs, he thought running was feasible. “I like a little bit of adventure in my life. This seemed to be a good idea,” he said in a phone interview. He continued, laughing, “I don’t know why I thought that.”
Jup’s cousin suggested he run for a cause and introduced him to Nick Chisholm, who experienced “Locked-In Syndrome” after several brain stem strokes following a rugby accident in 2000. Nick’s mind is fully functional, but his body is nearly completely paralyzed, making day-to-day life very difficult. The tandem decided to raise money for the Stoke Foundation, as well as stroke awareness along the way by visiting schools.
Ticking Away the Kilometers
His philosophy is to break down his journey into manageable parts, focusing on each kilometer, instead of the number for the day or trip.
Each day he runs 10 km before breaking to eat a snack, repeating until he hits 30 km and taking a 20-minute lunch break, resting the legs and refueling the body.
Marathon runners can be pretty fickle about their diet but not this self-proclaimed “nonathlete,” who relies primarily on the generosity of others for his meals. “I don’t eat anything special at all. There is no special diet, no special drinks, nothing.” He does not count calories, carbs, or protein or consume energy bars and Gu packs. “I don’t see the point. In the old days they would drink lots of water, and eat what they wanted, when they wanted. I’m doing that and it’s working. I’m not hungry.”
Fuel for the Soul
The biggest fuel for this impressive feat is the support Jup gets from the people he meets along the way. While he is pounding the pavement, the “toots” (that’s Kiwi for honking) he gets from people driving by give him little boosts. “Funny that I don’t know anyone who is waving and tooting but it makes a huge difference in my mind and heart,” he said in his Day 18 blog post.
Jup has found people to run with just about every day, whether it is members of his family, strangers who saw him running and decide to join, or people who email him to meet up.
“I don’t want to run New Zealand from one end to the other and say, ‘Oh yea, I’ve done that.’ I would rather take my time, meet people, and get people out on the road.” He continued, “I don’t care what they do, I just want to get people involved.”
The Kiwi spirit has been fully evident, as Jup has had almost every meal and night’s lodging taken care of by the generous people in the towns he runs through. He has received keys to cities, met several mayors and hundreds of kids along the way. The weather has even managed to donate to the cause, giving Jup a virtually rain-free trip, with generally sunny skies.
He has also raised thousands of dollars for the Stroke Foundation, but more importantly, brought awareness to a problem that has affected many New Zealanders, including Jup. While planning his trip, and just a few months before he left, his father had a stroke. His dad pulled through, and it only solidified Jup’s drive, “My dad having a stroke has scared me. It’s definitely upped the motivation,” he said in a press release.
After a fall on day 20, Jup will run the remainder of the journey with a cast to heal his broken thumb; an injury he says does not hurt or bother him. The rest of his body has held up remarkably well. In his Day 29 blog post he wrote, “My body is a funny device but it is doing everything I want it to, just throwing in a couple of trouble times to keep it interesting.”
Despite aches and pains, and even a heavy stinky cast, Jup still manages to show his radiant attitude and sincere smile to every person he meets. In his Day 34 blog post he wrote, “They (smiles) are amazing and simple thing and everyone should wear one.” Too right mate.
Follow Jup’s progress at www.running-nz.info, and also learn about donation opportunities.
