The cause is close to Alistair’s heart. Five years ago, Alistair married his partner of eight years, Jamieka McCarthy-Ngapera, on a beautiful day surrounded by friends and family on Whangaparāoa Peninsula.

Just 12 hours later, Jamieka died suddenly from meningococcal B.

There were warning signs, she suffered neck pain the night before the wedding, and had chills during the ceremony.

“It looked like a bad cold, no-one thought it was a deadly virus. It was an absolute shock,” Alistair said.

To raise awareness about meningitis, Alistair will run 14 half-marathons – one in the morning and one at night each day for a week – starting on December 8, the day before their wedding anniversary.

He will run around the 400m athletics track at the AUT Millennium Centre on the North Shore, with support from friends, colleagues, and family throughout the week.

In total, he’ll do 644 laps, 295.4km and about 42 hours of running.

Alistair, 30, has also set up a Givealittle page with all proceeds going towards the Meningitis Foundation, which provides New Zealanders with information and resources on the disease.

To learn more about Alistair’s efforts or to donate to his cause, visit givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/running-for-a-world-without-meningitis.