Up until the 22nd, the former Brit is aiming to run a marathon a day for 30 days running as a mental health fundraiser — that’s 1266km amidst some gnarly early winter weather.
Heyes, who has lived in town for just over a year and is a manager at Margo’s restaurant, says he has only run about five marathons before.
Early this week he was chasing his tail a bit as he didn’t finish day 9, vomiting at about the 19km mark, and was battling to make up for those lost kilometres.
Earlier he’d told Instagram followers who think he’ll quit, "if I was a betting man I’m putting my house on 30 marathons in 30 days".
He says he starts his marathons along the Frankton Track then generally branches out towards either Arrowtown or Kelvin Heights — "I just change it up each day".
Still working fulltime, he says most days start early in the morning so he’s done by about noon — he takes about five to six hours, "a bit slower than usual, but just trying to get it done".
"I’m just trying to eat as much as possible [for fuel] and have about 20 coffees a day."
Early this week his legs were still holding up, "but the body’s giving away a little bit".
Heyes says he’s chosen mental health as he’s had his struggles — "I mean, like most people, I guess" — and, having lived in Australia for 20 years before moving here, he is raising money for Australia’s Black Dog Institute.
"I got into running, which kind of helped out, and then I decided to do this before I turned 30."
He’s set the ambitious goal of $30,000 just for consistency’s sake — "30 marathons, 30 days, $30,000, turn 30".
There’s a fundraising link via his Instagram account, @mikeysmarathonsformentalhealth
