Ōtorohanga Mayor is attempting to complete a sub-three-hour half marathon on crutches

19 April 2021

Ōtorohanga District Mayor, Max Baxter, is attempting to complete a sub-three-hour half marathon on crutches as he takes to the streets for the 2021 Rotorua Marathon next month.

Max, 56, who has no pulse below the left knee, is making the brave bid in an effort to match his performances in his younger days as a sub-three-hour marathon runner.

“I figured I would target three hours as it created another level of challenge,” he explains. “A three-hour marathon is an admirable target for most runners so why not attempt half of that?”

Back in 1991 Max ran his debut marathon in Rotorua, posting a highly respectable 3:13 for the 42.2km distance. However, in the wake of that performance he discovered he had trouble walking on his left leg and after going to the doctors he was diagnosed with a femoral artery failure, which resulted in no pulse below the left knee.

Max underwent fem/pop bypass surgery and the problem was fixed and he went on to run three-sub-three-hour marathons, including a fastest of 2:49 in New Plymouth.

However, eight years ago he ran into difficulties when the graft used to fix the issue and finally occluded - as vein grafts of this size have a limited patency.

“It suddenly meant in fine weather, at a brisk walk, I cannot walk 200m,” he says. “Therefore everything in my working life changed.”

In more recent times, Max has considered returning to the Rotorua Marathon, so set a sub-three-hour half marathon goal.

He acknowledges it is a challenge planting the crutches at pace but adds: “My training clearly indicates I can run a sub-three-hour time.

“It will mean a lot to achieve the goal and I hope 30 years after running my first marathon, I can provide motivation for others to overcome challenges and set goals.”