Stop running round the house, you’ve done 50km
A national lockdown and state of emergency didn’t stop Pukekohe man Ryan Hattle from running more than a marathon (42km) distance around his own house yesterday.
The 33-year-old even did part of it with a toddler on his back — lapping his property over and over again until he completed 50km.
Hattle was due to run a long distance event in the South Island but it was cancelled as a result of the spreading Covid-19 pandemic.
He was disappointed because he’d not finished the race last year and was desperate to achieve his goal this time around.
Instead of moping — he set himself a home challenge instead.
So after the lockdown started, friends sent him a video of a man in France who ran the distance of a marathon on his balcony.
Hattle thought he’d have a crack at something similar.
“I just enjoy a challenge and pushing myself and I decided I’d give it a go,” he said.
He set up a route encompassing his property and the berm outside, each lap spanning 100m.
Drinks and snacks were at the front gate, which served as the start and finish point.
Hattle tracked the distance on his phone’s GPS.
“It took seven hours,” he said. “It was pretty tough, doing the exact same route over and over and no changes, no hills, no different things was a bit hard on some of the muscles.
“I was pretty ready to crack at the 42km mark but I pushed through.”
For some laps Hattle piggybacked his 2-year-old son Denver.
“He would wave out every time I came around past the window,” he said. “He was on my back for a few laps. I was pretty happy to finish, pretty sore, and I’m pretty sore today.
“Today I’m just recovering.” Hattle said he had a few ideas of how to keep occupied during the remaining lockdown period, but first he would rest and let his body bounce back from the 50km.
“A few people have sent pics of 24-hour running challenges, but I don’t know,” he said.
“I’ll just see how I feel.”
Hattle said it was important people put the lockdown into perspective.
“Yeah, it’s a tough time we’re going through but it’s not really that big of a problem when you compare it to problems other people have in the world,” he said.