The Fuji Mountain Race, heralded as Japan's most difficult climbing race, is a 3,000-metre ascent over 21 kilometres of tarmac, gravel and volcanic rock. In 2011, Chris Pavey, a weekend runner from Brisbane, took on this challenge to raise money for charity, and in memory of his late sister in law, Christina.Running in solidarity with a nation shaken to its core by the worst earthquake and tsunami experienced in modern history, Chris confronts his own inner demons of self-doubt. Will people support his cause? Can he reach his fundraising target? Will his body hold strong against the injuries plaguing him? Getting to the start of the race was challenge enough, but now he has to finish it, and by doing so, provide a fitting memory for Christina.But Chris' story begins long before this one race, and encompasses so much more than just running. Faced with a bizarre illness preventing his body from digesting fat, he re-discovers the true worth of exercise and good nutrition. From cycling through Japan, to a security guard hold up in the Middle East; from running his first road race on the Gold Coast, to scrambling through the rainforest of Tropical North Queensland; his tales not only entertain but also inspire as he successfully learns how to combine his passion for endurance running with a desire to fundraise.In Running Against Time, Chris provides an unorthodox roadmap for others in their own endurance adventures and fundraising projects. With dedicated sections on how to train, how to overcome common running injuries, and how to fundraise, he will open your eyes to what lies out there waiting, and inspire even the most sedentary of us to pull on some runners.
About the Author: With an impressive list of races completed, including five marathons, and four half marathons, Chris Pavey knows running, and knows racing. In addition, he has raised money to great success, always smashing his fundraising targets. He knows fundraising, and how to combine his passion for distance running and fundraising in a way that inspires and motivates. With a Masters Degree in Creative Writing, Chris has had a number of smaller pieces of work published in online Ezines, and an essay, "Capitalism: The Opium of the Masses," published in Dissent Magazine (Issue 23 Autumn / Winter 2007). This essay, was in fact, his first foray into combining his passion of running with his literary pursuits, and achieved much acclaim. Following "Capitalism: The Opium of the Masses," a significant gap ensued in Chris' writing, where he went and became the athlete he dreamed he could be, finding himself the story he knew he needed to write. Running Against Time is the novel Chris had to live, before he could write it, which is exactly what he did. It follows on from the Run 4 Your Life magazine article, "Chris Pavey: Project Fuji," which was published in Issue 37 (August-September 2011), and provides a riveting insight into how the ordinary person can go about doing the extraordinary. Living in Brisbane, Australia, Chris works as a technical writer for the a health insurance company, Bupa. When not working, he spends all his time, when not running of course, writing, with his two cockatiels on either shoulder, a double strength latte in his left hand, and images of his extensive travels surrounding him for inspiration. Japan is his home away from home, and the mountains are where his soul continually roams.