This man is running 50 marathons in 50 days
With 24 marathons under his belt, Asa Cowell is determined to reach his goal of 50 marathons in 50 days to mark his 50th birthday, with the aim of raising $50,000 for Catherine House.
As of this morning, Asa Cowell has run 24 consecutive marathons, having raised some $32,500 for Catherine House.
Cowell said that when he heard the idea of running 50 marathons in 50 days, it felt like a befitting way to mark his almost 50 years of life.
“I thought 50 marathons in 50 days when I turned 50 sounded crazy enough that I would give it a go,” he said.
Cowell is hoping to raise $50,000 for Catherine House to support its mission of helping women experiencing homelessness in South Australia.
“I have a friend who I met when I was running who had a very unfortunate upbringing,” he said.
“When we decided to move the marathons from a personal event to a charity event, I agreed with my running friend that we support a domestic violence-linked cause out of respect for her and her unfortunate upbringing.”
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When Cowell spoke to InDaily, he had just completed his 21st marathon, having run a total of 894 kilometres over 105 hours.
Cowell said he had previously partaken in trail running and began training for the marathons in February, having completed a 55-kilometre run every month for nine months to prepare.
His gruelling routine sees him wake up at 3am every morning for a 4am start, before returning home for a shower to be ready for work at 10:30am.
Cowell said he is so exhausted by the end of the day that he is usually in bed by 8:30pm.
While he does not run in official marathons, Cowell records the distance on his Garmin watch and sees the runs as a personal challenge.
“When I start in the morning, my purpose is to finish that day as healthy as possible,” he said.
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“What I’ve got to bear in mind is that I’m not trying to run anything super fast – I stop to talk to people and if we’re running with a group of five people and three of them need the loo, we’ll stop.”
Asa Cowell welcomes anyone to run with him by signing up on his Facebook page. Photo: supplied
Cowell said he chooses routes with easy access to water and toilets, including one along the esplanade from Seacliff to the CBD and back.
Although most of the routes are in South Australia, he has also recently completed marathons in Ballarat, Melbourne and Dandenong.
He also wears a branded t-shirt to promote the cause and stops along the way to take fun photos.
“If anybody stops me to ask me, what are you doing, then I’ll stop and engage with them and tell them about Catherine House and we try to use the 50 marathons to promote the cause,” he said.
Cowell said that his personal best is four hours and 19 minutes, although raising awareness and funds for Catherine House is his main purpose.
The runs are advertised on his Facebook page, 50in50, with anyone welcome to join, although Cowell reserves some days for corporate sponsors and others for personal runs.
“The runs that the public are welcome to attend are all listed [on the Facebook page] as events and anyone from any circle of life and any pace can come and join me,” he said.
Alongside their corporate sponsors, Wayville Mitsubishi and the Adelaide 36ers, Cowell said they have also received around $17,000 from hundreds of private donors.
He said people can make a tax-deductible donation through a link on his Facebook page, with $17,500 still to raise.
With 26 marathons left, Cowell said that once he reaches his goal of 50, he plans to take a break and spend more time with his family and friends.
“I think there is another challenge in me, but I need to have some time for myself and my kids and for the people that are involved in my life,” he said.
