On the first day of last year's nationwide Covid-19 lockdown, 19-year-old Alex Witt reached for his running shoes.
A year ago, Witt said he was unfit, had the beginnings of a beer gut, and hadn't really run much before.
“Literally, it was just a one-day snap decision,” the Loburn teen told Seven Sharp.
His younger brothers had little faith the running bug would last more than a day. They were proven wrong.
In 12 months, he’d completed six half marathons and a half Ironman.
“Massive sense of achievement. That was like a year's work that I put towards that event,” he said of the Ironman, which he’d signed up to after running for just six months.
In that year, Witt also shed 30 kilograms.
“My confidence is way better compared to what it was,” he said.
His goals have also shifted. After initially wanting to become a pilot, Witt is now considering a career in physiotherapy.
“I like to think if I can achieve what I've done, so to speak, then anyone can do it. Have a go,” he said.
“When you actually achieve what you set out to do, it is a pretty awesome feeling.”
As for the brothers who doubted him at first, they've now caught the running bug too. They’re planning to join Witt in Wellington for the half marathon and the Aoraki Mount Cook Marathon.
Witt is hoping to find a coach now, and build towards completing a full Ironman event in a few years.
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