Some Walk1200km participants have ‘smaller’ goals in mind than walking 1200km. They want to lower their weight for their health, confidence and happiness.

I halved my body weight

Walking was not the driving force behind Luke McLeod’s weight-loss journey – at least not at the start. 

“I moved to the West Coast a few years ago and fell in love with the outdoors here. I often went camping and fishing and found myself wishing that I could tramp into remote areas or climb mountains as I enjoyed the solitude of nature.” 

A Christmas photo of himself prompted Luke to undergo bariatric surgery. He knocked 40kg from his initial 171kg and became serious about exercise. Then, he looked for a way to track his efforts. “I saw Walk1200km and thought it’d be a good way to keep myself accountable, as well as working towards a goal that coincided with my desire to get outdoors more. An added bonus was the nice community of people, all encouraging each other to push themselves to walk more and sharing their success stories.

“After a few weeks of daily walks I started to realise the mental and physical benefits it was giving me and how much I was enjoying the journey, and began to set bigger goals.”

As Luke changed his focus from the destination to the journey, he exceeded his initial weight goal of 115kg: “When I’m on a tramp I get in this almost meditative state where all I’m concerned with is putting one foot in front of the other and overcoming the problem in front of me. This helps to reset my brain and has done wonders to help with stress and anxiety.”

Now, at 85kg, Luke has achieved his longest tramp, to Lake Daniell, and climbed his first mountain in 20 years – Mt Te Kinga near Lake Brunner. “I got a bit emotional as it was something I could never have imagined achieving a year ago.”

He has advice for fellow Walk1200km participants who are also trying to lose weight. He says joint and foot pain used to discourage him, but that was short-lived and part of the transition from a sedentary lifestyle. “You’ll be surprised at how quickly your body starts to adapt to the lifestyle change. After a few weeks of regular 15–30 minute walks, my joints stopped hurting and walking ceased to feel like a chore.”

Another tip is to walk to the supermarket: “This gave my walk purpose (and) helped me to be mindful about the food I was buying since I had to carry it home.

“There will be days when every fibre of your being is telling you not to go for a walk, and it can be really hard to get motivated. On those days I just put my shoes on and force myself out the door. Within a couple of minutes I feel that mental barrier fade away. It is about overcoming that initial mental barrier.”

Catalyst for change

In a way Nicola Holland’s love of horses was the catalyst: first for her leap into weight loss nine months ago and then for starting Walk1200km: “I show my miniature horses, and at one show the photographer took a photo of me that made me see how much weight I had put on. I decided to do something about it.”

Nicola joined a gym, started watching what she ate and began going on small walks. Then she saw Wilderness in the supermarket: “I didn’t even think there was a magazine about hiking, so I was thrilled. I read the first of many issues and discovered Walk1200km. Of course, me being me, I had to sign up straight away.” 

The monthly microchallenges, Facebook page and Walk1200km progress tracker help Nicola stay focused: “The challenge of getting 1200km done in a year is great motivation.” Now, having lost a phenomenal 30kg, Nicola says hip and joint pain are completely gone, and she has much more energy. 

Walk1200km isn’t the end of the road for her, however: “I have big future goals to help me stay motivated. In summer 2026 I intend to walk Te Araroa Trail north to south in one go.” No horseplay going on here!