Theo De Hoog, 86, takes nothing for granted.
Once a week, every week, he pulls on his trusty trainers and heads out for a run, as he's done for decades.
He's training for the Rotorua marathon this weekend, with this year being particularly special.
He ran his first in 1977, now he's set to notch up number 40.
"It's got a lake there and that's exactly a marathon. If you start in one place and go round you've done a marathon. Isn't that beautiful?" De Hoog told 1News.
But De Hoog's story is much more than just running.
During the Second World War, he spent three years in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in Indonesia. While he survived, some of his family didn't.
"Things happen in the war that never happen in peace time. We were bombed twice in camp, twice they bombed us in different places," he said.
He returned to his native Netherlands before emigrating to New Zealand as a teen. It was here that he got into running "by accident", to keep fit for rowing.
More recently, there's been health scares. De Hoog had a triple bypass just a few years ago.
Still, he keeps on going. Through the years, life's winding road has taught him plenty.
"Having a bad time is a good thing in your life ... if everything goes right it's not good. You have to have setbacks that change you," he said.
Perhaps his upcoming milestone shouldn't be a surprise, after all, this is a man who knows the meaning of endurance.
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