Glenn Sutton will treat himself to four 20- to 30-minute power naps over the five days in which he will run 617km non-stop later this month.
The Dunedin joiner leaves Milford Sound on April 16 and will follow a roundabout route to arrive back in Dunedin five days later.
In between, Sutton will battle mental and physical fatigue and see-sawing emotions, and survive on less than a combined total of two hours sleep – the first shut-eye not expected until 36 hours after he starts.
“The longer you stop, the longer it will take,” he said.
As well as relishing the personal challenge, Sutton is raising money for Farmstrong in recognition of a dairy farming family friend who took his own life a year ago.
Sutton said he wants to support an agency that supports rural people with mental health issues, an issue that is also bolstered by Emersons Brewery, a principle sponsor.
Such daunting challenges are not new for Sutton.
He has completed the 217km Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley in the United States and three years ago ran 570km from Milford Sound to Mt Cook to support the Dunedin Hospice, a run he said tested his limits.
On that run, he passed out 40km from the finish, no longer able to resist the need for sleep. After a 30-minute nap he continued his ultramarathon.
“This time I want to see if I can go a bit further,” he said in an understated way.
“A lot of people can’t do these things. I’m up to the challenge to see if it is possible.”
His route starts at Milford Sound and follows the road towards Te Anau for about 34km before diverting onto the Routeburn Track, which will take him to Glenorchy at the head of Lake Wakatipu.
From there he heads to Queenstown, Wanaka, Tarras, Omarama, Duntroon, Danseys Pass, Naseby, Middlemarch and then to Dunedin, finishing at Emersons Brewery.
His support crew of seven will be crucial to achieving this challenge.
They will run with him, supply food and sustenance and provide a massage if it is needed, but importantly boost his spirits when they are low, and there will be times when they are, he said.
“Just being there, giving me a massage when it is needed or a positive talking to. There is always someone on a high and it may not be me.”
He expects the five days to pass quickly in what will be a series of milestone targets.
During the night he will look forward to dawn, or the goal of reaching a landmark such as a bridge, anticipating a friend joining him to run a leg or a drink or food break.
Hallucinations could be a challenge – they are usually a sign he has not been eating or drinking enough.
Sutton will not eat anything special, describing his diet as real, wholesome food such as fruit cake and sandwiches.
He stays away from energy gels and chocolate, which tend to make him unwell.
In preparation for this ultramarathon, Sutton has since Christmas had three runs covering 200km and 300km distances.
“I have come off them not broken, injury-free and healthy,” he said.
Despite that, Sutton doesn’t underestimate the size of this challenge.
“I don’t know if I can do this, but you don’t know if you don’t try.”
