The long run home marathon man's mission

Alex Asher is running 2400km around the North Island coastline - from Cape Reinga to Cook Strait - to raise awareness and money for two charities close to his heart: Sustainable Coastlines and Forest & Bird. Photo / Supplied

A long way from home and feeling homesick Alex Asher had an epiphany when he was driving down an autobahn in Germany.

The next day he began training.

The 26-year-old, who lived in Germany for a year, longingly thought of the beauty of New Zealand's coastline and wanted to help protect it.

He went on to travel through India, worked as a volunteer in Mexico and seeing the rubbish and pollution ruining the coastal landscape added to his motivation.

During this time overseas, the Cape to Strait run was born - a journey from Cape Reinga to Cook Strait down the east coast of the North Island, almost 2400km of off-road running.

Asher has run an average of 40km a day, six days a week, for the past 60 days to raise money and awareness for two charities, Sustainable Coastlines and Forest & Bird.

He is on the home stretch and on track to arrive in Wellington today.

He hopes to raise $5 for every kilometre he runs which will work out at $12,000 for each charity.

"The eastern coast of New Zealand is where I learned to dive, swim and fish - it means everything to me and is the accumulation of my life," said Asher after another 40km run in the Wairarapa. "When you are overseas the coastal landscape of New Zealand is what you dream about.

"This country is such an amazing place; it is hard to sum up.

"I have run along swags of uninterrupted beach with no one for miles and it has blown my mind.

"New Zealand is an adventure playground waiting to be explored, the fishing, the coastline, the beauty, it is immense and there is no other place in the world like it."

When Asher was overseas he identified three coastal environment issues: unsustainable fishing, pollution and plastics.

"We need to really look after what we have and not sit on our laurels because if we don't we won't have it, we'll lose it forever.

"We need to look at the methods of fishing and decrease the amount of bottom trawling and dredging so we are fishing with the future in mind."

Asher, who trained fulltime for three months before the run, has already raced a marathon.

"It is amazing what the body is capable of, when we are prepared to push ourselves," he said.

"It was a moment of madness when I was driving on one of Germany's famous autobahns and asked if I could run 5km six times a week then why couldn't I run 40km six times a week?

"It was daunting to start but the body is holding up well," said Asher, who has stayed injury-free after recovering from an inflamed shin on his third week on the road.

"I am comfortable running 40km to 50km a day and, while the hills and off-road trails are not easy, I am coping."

Asher, who describes himself as an average athlete, was inspired by the feats of Australians James Castrission and Justin Jones, who crossed the Tasman by kayak.

"They were two ordinary guys who dreamed big and did something extraordinary," said Asher.

"They talked about it as a trip of a lifetime and experienced a journey of self-discovery. I wanted to feel something like that."

Asher's effort has caught the attention of ultra-marathon runner Lisa Tamati who in 2009 ran the length of New Zealand in 33 days.

"It is pretty impressive after only three months' training," said Tamati who is preparing for a 220km run through the Himalayas in August.

"It is damn hard running that distance day after day and it is a mind game more than anything.

"Getting up to run a marathon every day when you are sore and fatigued takes mental strength to keep going.

"This should set a precedent for Alex's life and a standard for how he can push himself.

"Discovering that inner strength is a great thing and to put his body on the line for charity, that has to be respected."

Asher has travelled with his family as his support crew and caravan moving his supplies from place to place and it's his place of retreat for an afternoon nap most days.

He has tried to stay as close to the coast as possible including rounding the Coromandel Peninsula, East Cape and soon Cape Palliser and even swimming across harbours and estuaries.

"When I began I couldn't swim more than two lengths but there have been days when I have had to swim 18km - it has been a real challenge."

The journey has been made memorable by the people along the way.

"I have been blown away by the generosity and the hospitality of the people here who have opened their homes and treated me like family."

If you'd like to donate to Cape to Strait visit www.capetostrait.org.nzby