Ash Flintoff is raising money to fund counselling for young people.

After 32 weeks of the Walk1200km  challenge, Ash Flintoff says he’s the fittest  he’s been in 20 years.

The 58-year-old plumbing firm manager started last November, and by clocking up an average of 5km every day on tracks near his Dunedin home, he’s already crossed the 1200km mark.

At the same time, Ash has been walking to raise funds for Mike King’s ‘I Am Hope’ charity, which pays for counselling for young people. This follows a suggestion from Ash’s daughter, and she joined him in June, along with his wife and son, as he walked the final 3km to reach 1200km.

Ash aimed to raise $1 for each kilometre and kept a running total of donations on his Walk1200km progress tracker.

He says seeing donations roll in through his Givealittle page spurred him on.

“If it helps just one person, it will be worth it,” Ash says of the $1276 raised.

Ash had sustained severe concussion when a gas fire he was working on exploded in 2016. He started walking to rehabilitate – initially around his neighbourhood in the dark as the injury left him sensitive to light.

Although his walking has gradually improved, Ash says he was still surprised by  how quickly he reached 1200km.

“Walk1200km challenged me to go out every day,” he says.

A bout of Covid just after hitting 1200km slowed him down, but he’s determined to see the 12-month challenge through and is considering a repeat in 2022/23.

If you haven’t already signed up for the Walk1200km challenge, you might be wondering what it’s all about. Simple really: the goal is to walk 1200km over 12 months (it takes just 45 minutes a day). The challenge officially started in September 2021 and it relaunches this September. Keep an eye out for our October issue which has all the details, including a free Progress Tracker. Find out more at wildernessmag.co.nz/walk1200km.