Ep 43: Mal Law - Adventurer, Philanthropist, Trail Running Maniac

Mal Law is a living trail running legend. 

His life philosophy is summed up in this one sentence.

Dream Big. Live Big. Do Good. Inspire People. These are the beliefs that drive his passion for ‘adventures with a cause’.

 From early childhood he  devoured stories of great adventurers and explorers and  always dreamed big and imagined great adventures of his own, but until quitting a successful market research career in 2008 he had lacked the self-belief to actually live big.

That all changed when the idea of running New Zealand’s 7 mainland Great Walks back to back in just 7 days came to me out of the blue. It was a hugely audacious challenge; one that nobody had ever attempted before and it would push him as a self confessed humble ‘weekend warrior’ type athlete, to the very brink of his capabilities.

But he had a special reason for wanting to attempt the unthinkable; what many said was the impossible. He wanted to do good by raising a serious amount of money for a charity close to his heart, Leukaemia & Blood Cancer NZ, because as a 9-year old he had lost his older brother to this cruel disease.

And against the odds I succeeded. What’s more he discovered that in sharing his adventures he could inspire people to push their own boundaries and tackle their own ‘personal Everest’.

Since then he has dreamed up, planned and completed lots more epic adventures and has raised almost $800,000 for charity. He has  defied the odds and refused to let his limited athletic prowess define who he is  or what I he is capable of.  He continues to push his personal boundaries and through writing, film-making and public speaking he continues to tell stories that inspire people to believe, as he does, that ordinary people really can achieve extraordinary things.

His most famous and audacious adventure was to run 50 marathons in 50 days doing 50 mountains in New Zealand. This huge adventure nearly broke him and he had to change the goals along the way due to injuries but in true nature he persevered as best he could and the film from this mission has now travelled with the Banff Mountain film festival all over the world. He had over 300 people involved, the logistics were huge and the project planning immense. It was a project that he admits nearly broke him and he has never quite been the same. 

We discuss being "breakable", we discuss the hell hole of depression after huge projects like this, we discuss burn out and how to find balance and joy again in life. 

Mal is now inspiring other trail runners through his Wildthings trail runner club and you can join that here www.wildthings.club or find more out about Mal go to www.malcolmlaw.co.nz

We would also like to thank the sponsors of this show. 

Running Hot Coaching: 

The online training platform run by Lisa Tamati and Neil Wagstaff. 

Do you have a dream to run a big race, maybe a half marathon, a marathon or even an ultramarathon?

Have you struggled to fit in the training in your busy life?

Maybe you don't know where to start or perhaps you have done a few races but keep having motivation or injuries troubles?

Do you want to beat last years time or finish at the front of the pack?

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We promise to get you to the start line in the best shape ever! We will give you the benefit of our years of knowledge and experience in competing and training athletes, so you can avoid the mistakes, train efficiently, have fun and stay in optimal health while you are doing it.

So who are we?

Lisa Tamati is an a professional ultramarathon runner with over 23 years experiences racing the world's toughest endurance events and leading expeditions. Author of two internationally published running adventure books. She is also a mindset expert. From crossing the Libyan desert on foot to running Death Valley to running the length of NZ for charity, she has been there and done that. For more information on Lisa click here: www.lisatamati.co.nz

Neil Wagstaff is an exercise scientist, coach and ultramarathon runner with over 22 years experience in the health and fitness industry. He has trained hundreds of athletes and coaches alike to the successful completion of their goals. For more info on Neil click here: ... see more (link to the about us page

Training Tilt software - a complete toolkit for trainers, health and fitness professionals, coaches and nutritionists, combine your website, ecommerce needs, client communication and training plans into one easy to use platform. Find out more at www.lisatamati.co.nz/trainingtilt

 

The Path of an Athlete - Mindset academy. This is an in-depth online programme that teaches you how to develop mental toughness, resilience, leadership skills, a never quit mentality  and the keys for success in any endeavour.

Do you wish you had the mental toughness of an extreme athlete? Do you seek the confidence to deal with any threat, to steer any situation or challenge to a positive outcome?

If so, you can now learn the secrets to mental toughness and to developing a never quit mindset from someone who has been there and done that and lived to tell the tale.

For more information on "The Path of an Athlete" mindset eCourse go to www.lisatamati.co.nz/ecourse