Richmond's Running Men nailed arduous two-day challenge - and a would-be thief

“I went to a couple of dark places and came out trusting my own power more fully than ever before.”

It was by no means a walk in the park, but Martin Hauck battled through the gruelling 4x4x48 Challenge last weekend, whereby he had to run four miles every four hours for two straight days around Steveston.

Hauck was accompanied on the arduous journey – during which he raised almost $4,000 for the BC Cancer Foundation – by his training partner Jeff Kirkeby and buddy Mike Benedetto, who only decided to join the pair at the last minute and hadn’t prepared at all for the event.

And, as well as testing themselves to the limit, physically and mentally, in the name of cancer research, Hauck thwarted a car break-in early on Saturday morning.

“It was our 4 a.m. run; we were on Granville near Quilchena (golf course) and we saw this guy on a bike coming out of driveway,” explained Hauck.

“We then saw him round the corner trying the door of a car. I shouted at him ‘that’s not your car’ and starting running towards him.

“He said ‘it was ok,’ but he saw I wasn’t stopping and took off. I got to within a few feet of him. It was kind of funny.”

Once he’d sank a well-earned beer at the end – which was close to two marathons – Hauck took to a blog to unload his thoughts about his experience.

“Paradoxically, the more you work on yourself to be a better man and the more you lead by example, the more you inspire the rest of us to be our better selves,” he wrote.

“The nature of this challenge is far more mental than physical (as with almost everything).

“I'm proud that I went into the challenge knowing that my mind was stronger than my body.”

And in a nod to those fighting cancer and the ones who’ve survived, Hauck, despite having sore feet and legs, pointed out that he’s “not hooked up to a breathing machine.

“I don't have radiation pulsing through my body. I'm not worried that this might be the last gasp, the last hand, the last embrace.”

Hauck wanted to thank “Ken Regher, Phil Wu, Erin Boogemans and son Oliver, Jenny Benedetto, Tiff, Colin McKay, Jason, Barb, Mitch, Ryan, Kim Fraser and Jessica, who ran with us and showed support by sharing the physical suffering.

“Thank you to all the survivors for telling your stories and fighting to live another day. YOU are the true inspiration. Finally, I really want to thank my wife Michelle for helping out with meals and parenting and allowing me to do this. You are the quiet, consistent force in all of this.”

Hauck told the Richmond News last week how he was doing the David Goggins 4x4x48 Challenge – which happens around the world – in honour of family members and a colleague who have either beaten or been taken by cancer.

Along with Kirkeby and Benedetto, the trio pitched tents in Hauck’s backyard in Seafair for the duration of the 48-hour event.