Jeremy Keane is walking every street on Wellington’s Miramar Peninsula as he tracks down 1200km this year. 

Jeremy Keane is no stranger to a challenge. In 2020, he biked 3500km as part of a fitness challenge and in 2021 he committed to 200 days of ocean swimming without a wetsuit. So signing up to Walk1200km was a natural progression.

“I try to make different commitments each year to keep my fitness up. I actually like the paperwork side of it – writing down my progress each day and having a visual of where I am at. 

“The Walk1200km Facebook page has also been good. I’m not much of a social media person but I’ve enjoyed seeing what other people are doing and encouraging each other.”

Keane works as a PE teacher at Hutt Valley High School and also finds Walk1200km a good way to “keep up some kind of respectability of fitness”.

To up the challenge, Keane is trying to walk every street in Miramar.

“That’s been really good. It gives you a plan and it’s amazing how within a kilometre of my house I’ve found places that I’ve never known before.” 

He’s also using the challenge to help his young children increase their fitness to go tramping this summer. 

“I want to make that part of the challenge, to get them out a few times a week and build up their endurance. Our youngest is four so it would be great to get her walking 5km so we can go tramping over summer and know she’ll be alright without us having to carry her.”

So, as a seasoned challenge chaser, what’s his advice to other walkers?

“At some stage, you’re going to lose momentum so try and get ahead of the curb.”

Have you signed up to do the Walk1200km challenge? Register here.