Local Michael Wholohan has set himself the amazing goal of competing in 100 marathons by the end of 2022. The 54-year-old father recently completed number 59, 65K 4 65 Roses Marathon at Iron Cove Bay in Sydney and has now set his sights on the prestigious Boston Marathon later this year.

Michael’s first half marathon was in 1994, when he lined up for the Gold Coast Half Marathon. He trained for the Sydney Marathon in 2000, which followed the same course as the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics course. This prepared him for his very first marathon in Canberra in 2007.

“My motivation is the challenge to compete. Being a PE teacher, I find that competing in marathons is a great way to keep fit. I’m a huge advocate for running” explained Michael to the Emu and Leonay Gazette.

His training regime currently involves running 5 days a week, covering up to 60 – 70 kilometres. This also includes going to the gym every morning as well as swimming and bike riding.

“I’ll be competing in the Boston Marathon this year, on the 14th of September. Having previously competed in London, New York, Berlin, Tokyo and Chicago, Boston is the 6th World Major Marathon. By running in this, I should then receive the Abbotts Medal when I finish the race. There have only ever been 118 Australians complete the 6 World Major Marathons” said Michael.

“My original plan was to follow up the race in Boston with marathons in New Jersey and Toronto in April and May. With Boston rescheduled for September, I now hope to follow this up with the Montana Marathon the week after. During this time, I’ll be wearing pink and raising funds for the McGrath Foundation” he added.

Wholohan’s travels have taken him all around the globe to run and his favourite event so far has been the Three Lands Marathon last year.

“Three Lands covered Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The sights along the course were spectacular and breath taking” he replied.

Keep an eye out for details on supporting Michael and his fundraising for the McGrath Foundation on social media soon.