155km warm-up run before the big one

A quick pause for Marcelo Vanzuita during a race in the Sahara Desert. Photo / Supplied

Most competitors in next weekend's Great Lake Relay in Taupo are approaching the 155km event as just that - a relay.

But for one runner, Marcelo Vanzuita, it will merely be the first of many solo events in an 18-month training programme that will culminate with him racing in the 700km Yukon Arctic Ultra, probably the hardest running race in the world.

Vanzuita is no stranger to physical adversity.

The IT architect from Wellington has raced in some of the most gruelling 250km races available, including in the Sahara Desert, the Gobi Desert, the Himalayas and the Amazon.

These events were on a list of the world's most challenging races that Vanzuita found a while back, and he has steadily worked his way through them. But none of them compares to the Yukon.

"Throughout all the years of the race, only 30 runners have completed it," he says. "It's 700km, minus-40 degrees, you have to carry your food and all your gear for the duration of the race - about 13 days."

It's easy to be convinced of the difficulties the race poses, but understanding why anybody would want to do it is another matter.

For Vanzuita the answer is simple: "To me life is about adventure, and that will be the highest point. I'll be a happy man if I can finish."

Vanzuita is in his early 40s, and came to running only seven years ago. He grew up playing football and volleyball, but something about running appealed to him.

"It's the challenge of pushing it to the limit," he says.

"People think it's a physical thing, but it's about 60 to 70 per cent mental. Your mental strength has got to be your pure determination to complete the race.

"That mental strength is something I don't want to take for granted. I want to keep pushing it."

Vanzuita says he's fortunate to have the support of his fiancee, Mathilda. The two recently completed a 220km race in Cambodia, running together the whole way.

His commitment to the sport is remarkable, considering his racing is entirely self-funded and done during his annual leave from work.

"What some people call a holiday, I spend running through deserts and jungles," he laughs.

Vanzuita will be raising money for Heart Kids NZ and the SPCA during the Taupo race, with all donated money to be split equally between the two charities.

He will start the race at 6pm on Friday and have 24 hours to finish it.

"It will be interesting to start the race alone," he says. "I'm looking forward to the other runners passing me at some point. I may have a power nap, but I think I will be too hyped to sleep."

Great Lake Relay
Where: Lake Taupo
When: February 20-21
Distance: 155km, which can be either walked or run.

For more information on the event, visit: http://www.eventpromotions.co.nz/events/taupo-great-lake-relay/

For more information on Marcelo Vanzuita and to donate money, visit: http://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/shadowrunner