Former Dunedin runner William Tokona has his mind firmly set on running the Marathon de Sables in April after completing five marathons in five cities in five days.
He completed the mammoth endurance run with Wellington running buddy Greig Rightford last week to raise $50,000 for the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research in Wellington which conducts research into cures or vaccines for diseases and conditions such as arthritis, asthma and cancer.
While the pair looked and felt exhausted by the final marathon, Mr Tokona said they managed to complete all five marathons in five days in creditable times.
Their first marathon was in Dunedin last Monday when they ran 42km in 4hr 10min.
On the following days, they ran the distance in Christchurch in 4hr 11min, Auckland in 4hr 8min, Rotorua in 4hr 23min and Wellington in 3hr 45min.
Now, they have their sights set on the Marathon de Sables - a 243km marathon across the Sahara Desert, run in six stages over seven days.
Mr Rightford said they had used the five marathons in five days to prepare for the ultra marathon.
