Mike Tennent has come a long way, literally – now he’s going further for hospice

He lost 20 kilograms in a couple months and went from being puffed after running just one kilometre to being on the eve of attempting one of the world’s tougher trail runs – the 60 kilometre Tarawera Ultra Marathon.

Central North Island BNI director, Mike Tennent, weighed 112 kilograms and was aware that his father had died of a heart attack around his current age.

“I didn’t want that to happen to me, so I went on a diet of three meals a day (no carbs at dinner), and I cut down my tea and coffee consumption. There was a forest across the road from us, so I thought why don’t I try running that for excercise? It might help the diet. Now I can’t get enough.”

Since then he has achieved his 92 kilograms goal weight and last year alone he completed 16 events, including doing under three hours for the 26km Classic Traverse.

“This Tarawera Ultra Marathon (on Saturday March 17) is another whole level and puts me right at the end of my limit.”

Mike will do the 60 kilometres of trail running – there are 85 and 100 kilometre options too – and will be lining up against one of the finest ultra marathon fields ever assembled in New Zealand.

“My running buddies suggested I do it and I told them that they would have to pay me to do it. Then I started thinking that this may be an opportunity for hospice and one thing led to another,” says Mike.

The sponsorship proceeds will be split amongst the hospices in the Waikato, including Rotorua, Tauranga and Taupo.

The Tarawera Ultra is a point to point run from Rotorua through to Kawerau. The vast majority of the run is on singletrack trails through native bush or forestry roads with less than 10% being on a sealed public road (between Blue Lake – Tikitapu to just past the Okareka Aid Station). In the Tarawera Forest the race follows deserted forestry roads, some of it, alongside the river.

It is a net downhill run with a 357 metre (840 foot) elevation loss. The running surface is excellent with free-draining volcanic soils with some technical roots and rocks on the Oaktaina and Tarawera section of the course from Humphries Bay to The Outlet. There is a river, lakes and creeks for runners to cool off if they start to feel hot during the run.

To sponsor Mike, please email him mtennent@bni.co.nz

Mike looks after 18 chapters in the region that he serves, as well as carrying out Member Success Programme and Leadership Team training. He is a coach builder by profession, but has been a professional salesman since his 20s.