Runners chase the Big Apple

THEY are gluttons for punishment and marathon men Peter Wheatley and Cameron Crawford aren’t done yet.

Wheatley, 61, has done 30 ironman events, each with a marathon to finish, three ultra-ironmans with a double marathon at the end and last year ran 31 consecutive marathons — one each day for a month.

Crawford, 43, has completed 20 marathons and conquered the 480km Tasmanian Trail from Dover to Devonport and return in five days. When the Point to Pinnacle rolls around on Sunday, the pair have their opportunity to grab one of 20 spots in Tasmania’s former Geelong recruit Tom Allwright’s team for the New York Marathon in February.

All they have to do to qualify for Tom’s team is complete the P2P inside the event’s cut-off time.

“It’s a great opportunity for people to go to New York and experience the biggest marathon in the world,” Allwright, 27, said.

“I’ve done it a couple of times. It’s an amazing experience.”

Wheatley and Crawford want to taste running in the Big Apple. “I’ve been there before. It’s one of the greatest cities in the world, so I would love to go back and do the marathon,” Crawford said.

Wheatley has two reasons to look forward to New York.

“That’s where my wife wants to meet me from her travels overseas and be there to cheer me on after she’s done her work in the water wells project in Ethiopia,” he said.