Kia ora team,

100,000 km is a big goal, but that is the point. Run72 2026 is aiming for 100,000 km moved together for mental health, not by one person, and not by a handful of athletes, but by a whole community choosing to move for something that matters. Students, clubs, flats, sports teams, gyms, workplaces, families, people who run every week, and people who have not run since high school cross country all have a part to play.

A goal like 100,000 km sounds impossible when you look at it as one number. But Run72 is not built on one person doing something massive. It is built on a lot of people doing something small enough to start. Every lap counts. A 2 km walk counts. A 5 km jog with your flat counts. A club challenge counts. A team shift at 2am counts. Even donating, sharing the page, bringing a mate along, or volunteering at the track helps move the total forward. The kilometres matter, but the community around them is what motivates everyone to keep going.

The easiest way to get involved is to make it social. Start a flat team, pull together your club, or get your workplace involved. Challenge another hall, gym, team, or faculty, and set a distance goal that feels a bit ambitious, then chip away at it together. It does not need to be massive. It just needs someone to make the first move: text the group chat, pick a team name, register, and decide who is taking which shift. Then, start asking each other the question that sits underneath the whole event; who are you running for?

Run72 is a running event, but it is not only for runners. Walk. Jog. Run. Move however you can. If your pace is slow, good. If you need breaks, good. If your main contribution is getting your team organised, also good. The target is 100,000 km, but the deeper goal is connection. We want more people showing up, talking, remembering, supporting, fundraising, and making mental health visible in a way that feels real.

Ways to help hit the target: register as an individual, start or join a team, set a personal kilometre goal, challenge another group, donate to someone running, volunteer, or come down and support people on the track.

From 4pm Tuesday 22 September to 4pm Friday 25 September, the University of Canterbury community will keep the loop moving.

Register, donate, or join or start a team

Ngā mihi,

The Lads Without Labels whānau