On The Up: Hawke’s Bay teen runs 100 miles to raise money for mental health charity

Bryn Morgan after crossing the finish line on his 100-mile run around the athletics track at the Hawke's Bay Regional Sports Park in Hastings. Photo / Rhys Kimber and _outdoorvisuals

After running 100 miles in just over 24 hours, a Hawke’s Bay teenager was finally able to sit down and rest.

But despite the pain, his spirits had never been higher after accomplishing what he started.

Runner and burgeoning content creator Bryn Morgan, 18, from Puketapu, ran 100 miles (160.9km) around the Hawke’s Bay Regional Sports Park’s athletic track on Saturday and Sunday to raise money for local mental health charity Spark That Chat.

Morgan was joined by friends, family and supporters who cheered and ran alongside him.

Starting his run at midday Saturday, Morgan said the first few hours “flew by”.

Having already competed in several ultramarathons, Morgan said that’s typical when starting a long run.

“I knew that the longer I stay still for, the longer it will take, so I knew just keep going,” he said.

To keep the run entertaining, at 3pm on Saturday Morgan held a Big Mac mile, where Morgan and those running would have to eat a Big Mac burger after every four laps completed in an hour.

Morgan described the hour as “pretty brutal”, but he stomped through the afternoon into the evening where the pace remained manageable, stopping only briefly.

“If I came in for a stop, it was basically food, 30 seconds of massage gun, water and then just keep going really,” he said.

Bryn Morgan running through the night to reach 100 miles. Photo / Rhys Kimber and _outdoorvisuals

As the sun dipped and the stadium lights came on, Morgan continued putting one foot in front of the other, sticking to the outside lines of the track.

With only half of the track lit, Morgan’s eyes played tricks on him as he ran through the night.

“I kept losing [the line],” he said.

“Either the line was fuzzy or it just wasn’t there. But that could have been me being tired.”

As the sun rose, the miles continued and exhaustion started to set in.

“The whole night I was alert, awake and ready, but I remember a few laps where I was walking and I was actually closing my eyes, not quite sleepwalking, but almost falling asleep while I was moving, which was a little bit scary sometimes,” Morgan said.

“But I just had some food, had some energy and then just kept moving.”

Morgan said the return of the sun helped his mental state, but he still had a “slow slog” to the finish line.

The last 30 minutes of the run were the hardest physically for him.

Bryn Morgan, in the white hat, running around the athletic track with his mates as he inches towards 100 miles. Photo / Jack Riddell

“It did hurt a lot, but I knew that if I didn’t push it now and finish strong then I’ll regret it,” he said.

Crossing the finish line, Morgan was filled with multiple emotions.

He said he sat by the track in disbelief that he completed his goal.

Bryn Morgan, left, relaxing after completing his 100 mile run with Spark That Chat founder Jack Jensen. Photo / Rhys Kimber and _outdoorvisuals

“I can only complete that distance for the first time once, so I was just taking everything in.”

Since finishing his run, Morgan has some simple advice for anyone facing a challenge and hopes his run inspires others to push themselves.

“Some people say ‘why think twice when you can think once’, and I say ‘why think once when you can just not think at all and just send it’.

“A lot of people can say stuff, but the difference between saying it and actually doing it is quite huge.”

Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in the UK, Germany, and New Zealand.