About Perry

Perry Newburn

Ultramarathon Runner

As a teenager and university student, Perry excelled at New Zealand representative field hockey. He played on the Canterbury (NZ) Secondary team, the Otago Colts, the New Zealand University team, and enjoyed playing Masters Hockey for Wanganui until 2004.

Looking to diversify from hockey, Perry took up running in his 40s. His goal was to run a marathon by the time he turned 50, and, at age 49, he ran the Rotorua Marathon. At the time he swore it was to be his first, last and only marathon. To date he has run 38 marathons, with his latest clocking in at 3 hours and 30 minutes.

In 2008, Perry decided to dabble in his first ultramarathon (any distance beyond a standard marathon race of 42.195 km). After running the nearly 67-kilometer Marton-Wanganui ultramarathon, he was in love. He has continued to run several ultramarathons per year, including:

·         Four 67 km ultramarathons

·         Three 60 km

·         Three 100 km

·         Four 160 km (the classic 100 mile)

·         One 260 km (in 42 hours)

·         One 310 km (in 46 hours)

·         One 486 km (in 72 hours without sleep)

In 2011, Perry ran the Round Rarotonga Road Race, a distance of 31 km in high humidity and heat. He easily completed the 31 km and kept going to become the first person to complete two circuits of the race. That same year, Perry’s home city of Christchurch was devastated by the February 22 earthquake. Wanting to help, Perry came up with the idea of raising money while running home. He ran the 1,053 km (approximately 658 miles) distance from Auckland to Christchurch in 15 days, raising $20,000 for the Red Cross Earthquake Relief Fund.

Not to be outdone by his 2011 feats, in 2012 Perry ran The Great ENZED Charity Run, a circumnavigation of New Zealand to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing. A distance of just over 5,000 km in 70 days, it was the first run of its kind in New Zealand. He completed another first this year by running two laps of Lake Taupo within 48 hours (a distance of 310 km). Within 5 weeks of his Lake Taupo run, he ran around a 4.5 km circuit for 72 hours (reaching 486 km) without sleep, raising necessary funds for the Special Needs Unit at the local high school.

Up until recently, Perry was a drug and alcohol counselor, a field he understands passionately as he battled his own addictions for a number of years. After “getting himself together,” he began helping others in similar circumstances.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Massey University, a certificate in adolescence mental health from Otago University and a further post-graduate paper in alcohol and drug addiction. Currently a member of the Feilding Moas Harrier Club, he focuses on encouraging new runners and the great positive effect exercise has on people’s mental wellness. He and his wife have been married for 20 years, and they and their son live in Feilding, NZ.

In his spare time, Perry runs – a lot.