Men of Action: New Zealander Takes On The World In 7 Days
18 Jun 2012
Monday is met with mixed emotions. Sometimes, it is the start of an exciting, unforgettable week; other times it marks the start of a great challenge that must be accomplished before the week ends.
For Mike Allsop, the week of the 15th-22nd July will most likely be a mix of both. He aims to be the first New Zealander to complete the 777 challenge: 7 marathons, on 7 continents, in 7 days.
In this one week, Mike will visit The Falkland Islands, Santiago, Los Angeles, London, Casablanca and Hong Kong, before finishing in native New Zealand - all to raise money for New Zealand children's charity KidsCan.
'Mike's marathon efforts will make a big difference to KidsCan and the money raised will go towards providing food, shoes, and raincoats for children less fortunate than others in low decile schools around New Zealand' - Julie Chapman, CEO and Founder of the KidsCan Charitable Trust.
Adventure is part of Mike's character. In his day job, he is an Air New Zealand Boeing 737 captain and last month he completed one of the world's highest altitude marathons. In preparation for his 777 challenge, Mike ran the 42km distance from the top of Kala Patthar, via the Cho La pass to the village of Pangboche in the Khumbu Valley region of Nepal.
But his first extreme adventure was in 2007, when he climbed Mt Everest.
'Mike is an exceptional Air New Zealander who challenges us all to look at ways within our own lives that we can push ourselves to achieve more' says Head of Sponsorship at Air New Zealand, who are supporting his challenge.
'He's an inspirational ambassador and is pushing the boundaries of what's considered possible' - Greg Campbell, Vodafone Chief Marketing Officer.
He certainly is! You can follow Mike during his 777 challenge at www.777project.co.nz.
