Two feet, 500km and no sleep for charity

By Dan Satherley

Her kids think she's "a bit nuts", and her mother wasn't impressed when she found out what her daughter was planning.

But 47-year-old Kim Allan is adamant she is going to walk 500km nonstop, and without sleep.

Why? To raise money and awareness for spinal cord injury research and treatment and because it's a challenge.

On Thursday, November 22, Ms Allen will begin the first of 332 laps around the Sri Chinmoy Peace Mile at Auckland Domain, raising money for the Auckland Spinal Rehabilitation Unit in Otara and the Catwalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust.

If she completes the full 500km, the next time the Tuakau mother-of-four gets to sleep, it will probably be Sunday.

"It was a matter of finding something I could do that didn't involve a huge cost from me, or myself having to get sponsorship to cover the costs, because obviously that sponsorship could have gone towards fundraising," says Ms Allen, who currently makes a living off her art.

Inspired by US ultra-runner Pam Reed, she decided running or walking fit the bill nicely.

"I came up with the idea after reading Pam Reed's book," says Ms Allen.

"I was looking at different options of things I could do, and obviously your first one is the length of New Zealand, but that's been done quite a few times and the cost is huge you need support people and a month or so to take off from life.

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Two feet, 500km and no sleep for charity