11 Great Runs for KiwiHarvest
Ben Gatting is gearing up to defend his Motatapu Trail Marathon title this weekend. He’s been busy in the lead up, running all 11 Great Walks in 11 days, raising funds for KiwiHarvest and spreading awareness for the incredible charity that he has been involved in over 2024.
Setting off on Waitangi Day with the Humpridge Track, Gatting wrapped up with Lake Waikaremoana on Sunday, 16 February. The iconic Motatapu course is set against a stunning backdrop, which will be the cherry on top of a long lists of runs. He explains that one of the most challenging parts of this epic mission was the planning, as opposed to the actual running.
“I started off with a big Google Sheet and I just went step by step from there,” Gatting says. “I’d say there was a real focus on transport – there’s a big drive between the Routeburn and Punakaiki, about nine hours up the West Coast, so accounting for that and then getting up to the North Island to do the three walks, which was a case of flying from Nelson to Auckland.”
Getting from point A to B in time, trying to squeeze in meals and making sure a run could be completed each day was logistically challenging, but it was all worth it for Gatting, who really enjoyed himself. He unfortunately sprained his ankle along the way, so is on a regime of rest and recovery, hoping to be able to make it to the start line.
“There were hard times, pushing through some of the later stages of the runs, but ultimately I did love the whole experience, especially because they’re such beautiful trails – they’re all great walks for a reason. I really had to stop and pinch myself to take it in.”
Gatting wanted to raise money for KiwiHarvest as he’s been working with them for a while and seen first-hand “the pretty epic work they do with sometimes limited resources.” The charity takes food that would otherwise go to landfill and redistributes it to people and families in need. His goal was to raise $20k and at the time of writing this article, he’s almost hit that target – now he’s hoping to get beyond that.
“The more resources and money they have at hand, the more they’re going to be able to promote that change.”
You can donate to Ben’s Givealittle page here givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/11-in-11-for-kiwiharvest– it will close soon, so be sure to get in quick. Motatapu will take place this Saturday, 1 March, with all races finishing at Wilcox Green in Arrowtown. Supporters are encouraged, so swing by and cheer on the participants, and they’re still accepting volunteers if you’d like to help out.
