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Harrison firefighter launches ‘No Fun Run’ for BC Lung Association

Zack Martyn will be running four miles every four hours for two days
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Zack Martyn will be running the loop around Harrison Hot Springs 12 times in 48 hours to raise money for the BC Lung Association between Friday, Feb. 19 and Sunday, Feb. 21. Martyn will be running every four hours for 24 hours, starting at 9 a.m. on Friday with his last run at kicking off at 5 a.m. on Sunday. (YouTube)

Zack Martyn is preparing for 48 hours of gruelling exercise and exhaustion — for a good cause of course.

On Friday, February 19, Martyn will be starting his No Fun Run, four miles every four hours for 48 hours, in support of the BC Lung Association.

“I used to have asthma up until my teens,” Martyn said about why he wanted to support the association with a fundraiser. “I had some pretty scary points where I almost died, and it just seemed like it kind of hits home.”

Last year, Martyn and three other members of the Harrison Hot Springs Fire Department participated in the annual Climb the Wall fundraiser. Firefighters across the province gathered together to climb up 48 flights of stairs in full gear to raise money for the BC Lung Association.

RELATED: Solid Climb the Wall showing for local firefighters

“We all thought it was going to be a bit of a joke because there are so many people doing it,” Martyn said. “By floor eight, you’re like ‘Oh no. I have to do 40 more of these? I’m going to die.’

“But when you get finished it, it’s like ‘That was awesome, I want to do it again.’”

This year, COVID-19 has put Climb the Wall on hold. Although the BC Lung Association is hosting a virtual fundraiser where participants count their steps to get to the top of the provincial leaderboard, Martyn felt that didn’t have enough pain and suffering to make for a really good fundraiser.

He decided to put together the No Fun Run instead.

Based on an annual event created by American ultra-marathon runner, the No Fun Run will see Martyn running a loop around Harrison Hot Springs 12 times in 48 hours.

“It sounded like a real difficult journey to do for this kind of thing,” he said. “Might as well try to raise money for the BC Lung Association again.”

Starting from the entrance to the village on Hot Springs Road at 9 a.m. on Friday, he will run up to the lagoon, and then back down on McCombs Drive. At 1 p.m., he’ll start all over again. Then again a 5 p.m., 1 a.m., and so on until his final run at 5 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21.

“I can run six and a half kilometres, pretty okay. But I’ve never done more than one a day,” he said.

“I’m thinking the 1 a.m., 5 a.m. runs are going to be pretty rough,” he added.

SEE ALSO: Weekend bike trek for BC Lung a tradition for Chilliwack family

Martyn is collecting donation through Facebook for the BC Lung Association. As of Tuesday, Feb. 16, he has raised $1,310 — no small feat for someone who came up with the No Fun Run idea less than a month ago.

“I’m already amazed of how far its got,” he said. “There were maybe $300 or $400 between the four of us last year for Climb the Wall. I never thought I’d even hit $1,000.”

Although he is accepting donations from people who cannot donate through Facebook, he says the online platform is best for those who want to make sure they get a tax receipt for their donations.

Martyn is hoping to raise $2,000 before he kicks off his run on Friday morning. He said he would be happy to have support from residents as he runs as well, although doesn’t want the No Fun Run to turn into a group event because of COVID-19.

“I don’t want to create a group function … but if anyone wants to wave or say hi on the way by” they are more than welcome.

To donate to the BC Lung Assciation through Martyn’s No Fun Run, visit his Facebook page The NO FUN RUN…for Lungs! where his run will be livestreamed on Feb. 19 through 21.