Blake Schimanski: Kiwi runner plans to run the length of New Zealand to raise money and awareness for youth mental health

Blake Schimanski has taken on the challenge of running the length of New Zealand - from Bluff to Cape Reinga - within the month of April.

Through his campaign ‘Run Aotearoa’, he aims to raise $100,000 for youth mental health efforts, with the goal of creating 'positive change.

With 10 days left to go, he says he's been averaging out 80 kilometres a day.

"There's a lot of stuff you don't really know until you start - and I'm learning a lot along the way, it's been a bit of a challenge." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talks edb Right.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
From Bluff to Cape Riana. Blake Schmansky is spending the
month of April running the length of New Zealand in
his effort to raise both awareness and funds for youth
mental health. With just ten days left of the month,
we thought we'd check in and to see how he's going.
Where he's gotten to Blake, Shamansky joins me, Now, how
are you, Blake? Good morning, Good morning? How're we going? Good?

(00:36):
Where are you?

Speaker 3 (00:39):
I've just passed through now or here this morning, so
sort of on the back roads.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Now, wonderful you're running from the south to the north.

Speaker 3 (00:47):
Then, yeah, that's correct.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
Two thousand yep. Carry on.

Speaker 3 (00:55):
Yeah, started in Bluff on thirty first of March and
it's about twenty one days in.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
And bo so it's twenty eleven kilometers. What distance are
you averaging each day?

Speaker 3 (01:08):
There's been some good days and some bad days, obviously
highs and lows, but like sort of been averaging out
on about eighty kilometers a day.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
Well that's pretty impressive. I mean this is quite a
popular feat to attempt to New Zealand. Did you get
any advice from anyone who's done this run before?

Speaker 3 (01:25):
Yeah, I reached out to a few people who've done
similar efforts just to try and find out any tips
and tricks they've sort of found out along the way.
But yeah, obviously there's a lot of stuff that you
don't really know until you start and learning a lot
along the way, which is a bit a bit of
a challenge.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
But yeah, like what's your running background.

Speaker 3 (01:50):
Yeah, so I sort of started running about three years ago.
I'd always sort of like run when I was a teenager,
like doing half marathons and stuff, but about three years ago,
as I got into doing ultra marathons, and yeah, just
over the last three years, I've sort of just been
extending the distance every every few months and what I've
been doing. But yeah, definitely nothing nothing that's spoken previously.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Do you have a support team with you?

Speaker 3 (02:19):
Yeah, so I've got my parents and my brother who
my support crew have been massive help along the way. Yeah,
definitely wouldn't have been possible without them coming. So they
sort of meet me every few hours and restocked me
up with hydration and food. I mean, I just into
any sort of like little injuries that might be popping up. Yeah,

(02:40):
it's pretty They've been real busy the whole time as well.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Yeah, vital though, aren't they. How did you map out
where you'd actually be running?

Speaker 3 (02:49):
Yeah, so I was quite a long process sort of
doing that, trying to find I guess, like the quicker,
like the shortest route, but also like the safest route,
Like some of the roads are pretty pretty dangerous just
that along. Yeah, there's been a few instances. It's been

(03:12):
a bit dicey, but yeah, I had to do a
few reroutes along the way as well because unexpected road
closures with the weather that we sort of had over
the past couple of weeks. Yeah, it's been a bit
of changing along the way.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
Blake, how many pairs of shoes have you gone through
so far?

Speaker 3 (03:32):
I think I'm on about my first pair.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
Now, but it's not too bad.

Speaker 3 (03:36):
Yeah, I had a lot of other shoes that by
day three, my feet had swollen up and gone upper size.
So half the shoes I had with me I can't
even use because they're too small, too small for me.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
Now, what made you choose this as your challenge while
wanting to raise awareness around youth mental health.

Speaker 3 (03:55):
Yeah, so I guess I've previously done done like run
sundraising fire and hope, and I just sort of wanted
to take like a a big ship a bit step
forward and what I was doing to try like raise
more awareness than sort of get the whole country behind it,
like supporting I'm hope, I guess like passing through all

(04:19):
these talents along the way with the caravan we've got
which sort of has got all the sign writing saying
what I'm doing, and so all the people are sort
of getting away and what I'm doing and how they
can help, I hope through support like youth mental health
here and out here, which is a massive, massive problem

(04:40):
at the moment.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
Here, And you're aiming to raise one hundred thousand, How
are you going with that?

Speaker 3 (04:47):
Yeah, a bit of it. I haven't checked for a
couple of days. I think a couple of days ago,
I was about seventeen seventeen thousand, which is yeah, that's
a massive effort. So I'm sort of hoping as in
the coming days as they passed through Awkland, a lot
more people sort of out here about it and want
to to help and donate.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
Blake, where do people find you? Online to donate.

Speaker 3 (05:12):
Yes, I've got a website set up which has run
out there dot co, dotanz and on there. It's got
the link to the give a little page, got a
light tracking sit up, so anyone who wants to follow
along se who I am, and then you know, links
to like my social media, which is my brother's been

(05:33):
sort of doing daily updates on there and how I'm
going and where we'll be if anyone wants to join
me in running a section.

Speaker 2 (05:41):
I was going to say, do you like people just
sort of joining you and chatting away and distracting you
a little bit?

Speaker 1 (05:46):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (05:46):
Yeah, I've had a couple of people in the past
few days sort of run along with me and it's
definitely helped a lot, sort of having someone to talk
to because the gets a lonely being out on the
road by sell all day. Yeah, there's definitely been a
massive helped the past couple of days people.

Speaker 2 (06:00):
Have joined me and Blake. Finally, when do you think
you're going to finish to plan?

Speaker 3 (06:06):
I think hopefully next Saturday or Sunday is sort of
looking like when we'll make it to Cape Bringer.

Speaker 2 (06:14):
Look fantastic, Good on you, take care out there, and
thank you so much for taking a moment to talk
to us. Only you get back on with your daily run,
just your casual eighty ks that you're going to whip
through today. Run alt dot co dot m z is
where you can follow Blake or if you want to donate,
that's where you.

Speaker 1 (06:32):
Will find him For more from the Sunday session with
Francesca Rudkin. Listen live to news Talks it'd be from
nine am Sunday, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.