Weir there’s a will, there’s Sam’s way
A DESIRE to discover how far he can push his body led Sam Weir to become an endurance runner and the Gold Coaster will chase his next challenge in his own backyard.
The Currumbin resident is one of the favourites for the 200 Miler trail-running event, set to be begin next Thursday at Nerang State Forest.
Weir, 27, is aiming to complete the 322km course, held on a 25km loop, in less than 65 hours.
It’s a gruelling slog for any athlete but Weir said the size of the challenge only motivated him further.
“For me it’s always been about pushing the boundaries of what humans are capable of,” Weir said.
“It’s about seeing how far you can push your mind. That’s what gets me excited.“
Weir only started running six years ago after the avid surfer injured his feet in the water.
He competed in the 50km Bribie Beach Bash in 2012 and has run a total of 2514km over 17 ultra-marathons.
Weir has also trekked from the north to south of Papua New Guinea via the Kokoda Trail, scaled Mt Kilimanjaro and also rowed across the Atlantic.
“I came from a surfing background,” Weir said.
“Through injury about five years ago I basically got into running then.
“I was surfing and basically went up for an air reverse and came down and folded my foot in half. I was out of the water for about eight months.
“I got back in the water after that and did it to the other foot.
“I looked at running just to get back into physical fitness again. I ran my first race about six years ago and they just go longer and harder from there.”
Weir labelled the Nerang trail, one he runs weekly, a perfect course event.
“For me it’s all about location,” Weir said.
“It’s in my own backyard. I literally live and work down to host the the road so I’m out here at least a couple of times a week.
“I’d be silly not to. The beauty of having a 25km loop is that you have your support crew at your disposal every 25km to give you the boost to keep moving forward.
“It’s a perfect course to run. There is no real technical sections through it so it should make for a pretty fast race.”