Steve Maloney doesn't consider himself a runner.

But that isn't stopping the 28-year-old from training and preparing to run the length of New Zealand.

Steve, who is from New Zealand but has lived in Comox for about four years in two stints, has dreamed of running the length of New Zealand for years. It's a dream passed on by his father, Terry.

Steve ran when he was boxing, but the idea of running across the country seemed a bit far-fetched at the time.

The dream never quite went away, though.

"The idea stuck with me, and a couple years ago, I was at a bit of a crossroads, and the idea hit me that maybe I should give it a bit of a go," he said.

Steve figures the run will be about 2,200 kilometres in all. He will run from north to south, starting at Cape Reinga and finishing in Bluff, which is where he grew up.

"It would be nice to spend Christmas with my family," he said.

Originally, Steve wanted to do the run for a charity, and when there was an earthquake in Christchurch in February, he thought it would be the perfect fit.

It has proven difficult to co-ordinate, though, and Steve has decided to do the Great Walk from Gold River to Tahsis in June and collect pledges to support earthquake survivors in Christchurch.

"It's a small way of helping out from so far away," he said.

Steve will do the Great Walk with his father. Terry, who is 69, has done the 63.5-kilometre walk from for seven years, while Steve has done it two or three times.

"I thought it would be a good way to do something good, and it would be a good tuneup for New Zealand to see what kind of condition I'm in," said Steve.

The money Steve raises will go to the Red Cross.

"They've been really helpful down there, and you know it's going to the right people," he said. "It's amazing how many Kiwis I've met living here or who people who have family living over there. It's amazing how many people it's touched. I'm pretty proud to be a Kiwi, to see everyone band together and help."

Steve will head back to New Zealand at the beginning of October and will begin his run Oct. 11.

His goal is to run the length of the country in 40 days, running roughly 50 kilometres per day.

"It's kind of a lot," he said. "I'm not a runner at all."

Steve expects that the weather might be a bit better and a bit warmer on the north of the island, although there will be more inclines and more motorways to navigate. The south island is flatter, but the weather is a lot worse, and there is a lot of wind and rain, he explained.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit nervous," he said.

Terry, who is Steve's trainer and who rides his bike alongside Steve as he builds up his mileage, will accompany Steve on his New Zealand run, driving a vehicle as support. They expect to spend most of their nights camping.

"I think it'll be easier knowing I'm heading in the direction of home," said Steve, whose mother and two brothers are still in New Zealand, as well as a niece he hasn't met yet.

Steve hopes to create a website through which people can keep track of his running while he's in New Zealand.

While the Great Walk will be a fundraiser, Steve's New Zealand run is a personal endeavour.

"It's for me, and Dad's helping me to achieve that," he said. "It's a big undertaking. For all those who have supported me and encouraged me, a big thank you. They're helping me to achieve something I still don't know is possible. I've thought about it so much for so long that it seems hard to believe it's going to happen."

Steve particularly thanks his aunt, Debbie Dwulit, and he is grateful for his father taking the time to train with him and support him on his run.

"It's neat," he said. "I asked him to come back from the States to help. It'll be a good year out of his life committed to me. I'm pretty fortunate."

Steve works at Plates Eatery and Catering Co. Ltd., and he has pledge sheets for the Great Walk at the restaurant at 2601 Cliffe Ave. in Courtenay.

writer@comoxvalleyrecord.com