Perry Newburn will not claim length of New Zealand run record after second attempt

Former Whanganui runner Perry Newburn will not claim the record for running the length of New Zealand.

The 64-year-old made a second attempt at the record last month and reached Bluff in 18 days, 8 hours and 42 minutes - 18 minutes ahead of the time set by Siggy Bauer in 1975.

Days later, Newburn wrote on the run's Facebook page he would not be claiming the record "for some obvious reasons".

"There were parts of the run where road/bridge conditions were totally unsafe to run and therefore I made the call to be driven through these parts," he said.

"These decisions were my decisions.

"The conditions down south at times were also totally unsafe... and with sleep deprivation taking a big hold, this added to the problem.

Perry Newburn has made two attempts to break the record for running the length of New Zealand.

"Siggy's record still stands and to me it shows how great this record is and what a great runner he was. He is a hero to me."

Bauer now lives in Eltham and said his 1975 run went the opposite way and due to the roads at the time was also bit longer, which made times hard to compare.

Despite not getting the record, Newburn, who now lives in Napier, said his run raised more than $7000 for Running on the Spectrum NZ Autism Support.

"The charity does wonderful work raising awareness and providing schools with running shoes and movement programmes for students with autism."

Newburn's admission was met by an outpouring of supportive messages on his Facebook page.

Record or no record Perry Newburn it was a bloody great effort and great charity to of supported. Recover well Perry.

"Amazing achievement! Super inspiring that you put safety first and made the tough calls in the thick of it. The traffic was probably easier to deal with 30 years ago," posted one.

Said another: "Record or no record Perry Newburn it was a bloody great effort and great charity to of supported. Recover well Perry."