Running so Penny can walk!

In 2009 Penny Gifkins contracted meningococcal sepicaemia a serious blood poisoning infection.

With the odds stacked against Her the doctors gave a 2% chance of survival but she battled on but due to the extent of damage suffered to her body the only option was amputations to both her legs (below knee) most of her left hand and all but 2 finger tips.

The next stage for Penny is to undergo Osseointegration surgery giving Her the able to walk on uneven surfaces, up and down hills and be more mobile sadly this surgery is not available within New Zealand and there is no ACC aide open to Her to pay for this life changing operation.

To generate awareness and help Penny reach her goal of getting the surgery required that allows her to do what people take for granted everyday, Paul will be taking part in the 4 Deserts Race Series running 250km across Ecuador.

Carrying his 10kg kit bag Paul will endure rough terrain at high altitudes running at over 3000 meters above sea level, although Paul is a keen endurance athlete having taking part in ironman events and endurance marathons and has been training hard to complete this epic race and the added motivation to help Penny will add to his mind set going in to this event.