A step at a time
Dan Cosgrove will embark on a mammoth task of man versus mountain when he attempts to ascend 13,166 metres for the Mental Health Foundation next month.
The Hamilton music teacher will climb 13 peaks in seven days, with the goal of raising $1000.
It’s a task that will see him climb popular mountains in Te Aroha, Nga¯ruawa¯hia and Mt Maunganui, spurred on by a statistic Cosgrove couldn’t shake.
‘‘I was reading a news article and it said 606 Kiwis took their own life in the last year. That’s almost two a day,’’ he said.
"Originally I was going to do seven in seven days but I wanted to really push myself and do something that was physically at my limit."
Dan Cosgrove
‘‘That blew my mind completely.’’
Although he doesn’t suffer from mental illness himself, Cosgrove, 27, has witnessed it in close friends.
‘‘It’s a funny subject in this country … and it’s probably partly because people feel like they can’t talk about it.
‘‘I think the Mental Health Foundation needs all the awareness and funding it can to continue to provide support and solutions for those among us who suffer from mental health issues,’’ he said.
His climb begins on April 23 and though he’s looking forward to the challenge, his Achille’s heel will be the Hakarimata summit in Nga¯ ruawa¯ hia.
‘‘The first time I went up, I got halfway and thought ‘I have to go back’,’’ he said.
‘‘Now I can do it twice a week and it’s getting easier. I look down now, I don’t look up. I don’t want to see any more stairs.’’
Because it’s only a 374m ascend, Cosgrove will be climbing the Hakarimata track three times consecutively in a day.
He’ll also do multiple climbs of Mt Maunganui on day three and Mt Kakepuku on day five.
‘‘The Hakas three times a day is going to be a killer,’’ he said.
‘‘But the reason I’ve chosen a fitness fundraiser is because the people I’ve talked to who have suffered from a mental illness have said fitness has helped them out of a lot of dark places.
‘‘Originally I was going to do seven in seven days but I wanted to really push myself and do something that was physically at my limit.’’
To donate, visit www.events.mentalhealth.org.nz/fundraisers/13peaks7days