Australian Bridget Quayle suffers from mental health problems and wants to break the cycle in her family.

'I've got no brains," laughs Colin Thorne who will be 90 when he runs his 50th marathon in May at the 50th anniversary of the Rotorua Marathon.

Some names from the past have been recognised for their services to sport in the New Year Honours.

Kiwi ultra-distance runner Kim Allen has broken the world record for running without sleep, but her support crew kept quiet as she passed the milestone.

A marathon runner is well over halfway in her record breaking bid to run for 500km in 85 hours, with no rest.

One down, 19 to go. Warren Bernard, a clinical psychologist from Napier, is hoping to change the world one step at a time, quite literally.

Getting to the start line is at least half the battle for any first-time marathon runner. Saatchi Goldwater, a 23-year-old marketing manager who is aiming to complete her first Auckland Marathon tomorrow, knows she wouldn't have got there alone.

Kim Smith is confident her efforts to run through the pain barrier will help her land a bonanza US$100,000 ($121,700) road race prize tomorrow for a second successive season to cement her status as one of New Zealand's best paid sportswomen.

To many Kiwis the thought may seem hard to comprehend. In Britain a marathon runner when completing the gruelling challenge is less likely to be asked what time they have taken but more likely how much money they have raised for charity.

Racewalker Quentin Rew says he will compete in the IAAF World Athletic Championships in Russia with a good friend in the back of his mind.

There are myriad reasons for taking to the streets of Taupo next weekend for the 20th anniversary of the Mizuno Taupo Half Marathon.

Hibiscus Coast runner Alison Bradley took the concept of travelling light to new heights as she jogged her away across America in an unofficial world record time.

Runners and walkers of all ages can get off the couch and into the fitness race during the Unitec Run Walk series.

Tess Birkbeck, a 30-year-old teacher who is a newcomer to the series in 2013, turned up to the Riverhead event in June but forgot her trail shoes.

The adidas Auckland Marathon could be the fastest in many years with the organisers confirming they are working on a proposed course change for this year's event.