Local Focus: Everesting challenge in Hawke's Bay a good deed

Running up Te Mata Peak 30 times in a single day is not for the fainthearted.

Especially when the temperature reaches 28C, with only a light wind.

But endurance athlete Will Alexander succeeded in his bid to climb the equivalent of Mt Everest over the weekend, raising more than $10,000 for a worthy cause.

"Everesting is about how quickly you can ride or run the equivalent height of Mount Everest as quickly as you can non-stop," he said.

"There are lots of rules: you can only have a two-hour break, you have to go up and down the same route, and the route has to be officially measured by Strava.

"But basically, it is a human endurance test."

Alexander said after the frustration of event cancellations because of Covid, he needed a physical challenge.

"But then I've been working remotely for an Auckland company, and I just got so frustrated with the endless lockdown.

"The team I work with are struggling.

"I can see that there are a lot of people losing their livelihoods and businesses, so this is my way of supporting them, raising money to support small businesses and Auckland and people suffering from mental health issues."

So far he has raised more than $10,000 for the Mental Health Foundation through sponsorship of per-foot climbed, running through the night and into the heat of the Hawke's Bay sun.

With a torch strapped to his head, he had a few hard falls overnight after a 5pm start on Saturday but said overall running at night "was amazing".

Endurance athlete Will Alexander had plenty of support as he scaled Te Mata Peak 30 times. Photo / Ian Cooper

"It was beautiful conditions.

"Looking down on Hastings, it looked like algae in the sea - all the lights.

"A good mate of mine joined me for about five hours and it was beautiful.

"I had a good block but really struggled in the morning - I had about three hours of throwing up and just couldn't hold anything down."

Playing catch-up on hydration while the heat climbed into the high 20s was not ideal.

He had planned to set a New Zealand record for Everesting but missed the mark by several hours.

While Everesting is seen as being as much a mental challenge as it is a physical one, Alexander remained lucid throughout.

It was hot work for endurance athlete Will Alexander who had to keep his temperature down and water intake up to avoud dehydration. Here he gets some help from his mum Wendy. Photo / Ian Cooper

He said while he always had enough puff for the ascent, he found the descent punishing on his legs.

His wife Emma's skill as a physiotherapist helped ease aching muscles and joints.

When the 8,848m climb-and-descent was complete, he celebrated with friends and family at the top of the Peak.

It is a feat he will doubtless be reminded of every day: he lives on Everest Ave, which has a view to Te Mata Peak.