Hustle with Russell: Why this man is running across Newfoundland

Mike Russell has been running for three years. Now, he's running a great distance across the province for a great cause.

As if marathons aren't quite enough, Russell takes part in ultra-marathons, anyrace that's longer than a marathon (roughly 42.1 kilometres).

Now, the Massey Drive, N.L., man faces his biggest challenge yet: running from Port Aux Basques to St. John's, a distance of 900 kilometres.

This jaunt across the island is inspired by Russell's five-year-old cousin, Oliver, and hisbattle with leukemia.

"I've had it in my mind for a while now, and then my little cousin was diagnosed with leukemia in 2017. I spent most of last year in the Janeway[children's hospital] helping him out and being there for him. I've seen what the Janeway does for these kids and their families," said Russell.

"I figured that if I'm going to do this run, why not raise money for the Janeway and try to help people out while I do it?"

Russell was touched by what he saw at the children's hospital, which is why he wanted to raise money through a GoFundMe campaign.

"They just made these kids feel at home. The facility itself is beautiful and clean. It's so comforting it doesn't feel like a hospital," Russell said.

He was drawn to ultra-running because it poses more challenges than a regular marathon.

"It's you and yourself out there, and you have to get yourself to the finish. No one really helps you," Russell told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning.

"Sometimes it can be a team sport, but most of the time it's just yourself, and you have to battle with whatever comes up and then conquer it yourself to get it done."

Not his first rodeo

He has ran multiple 50-kilometreraces locally, did a 50-mile (about 80.4 kilometres) race in Clarenville, along with two 100-mile races in New York and New Jersey. That's 160 kilometres each.

While a 900-kilometreultra-marathon is surely gruelling, Russell says the mental part of this journey is more important than the physical part.

"It's a mental thing," said Russell."It's going to come down to being mentally strong, and telling myself to take it piece by piece and not worry about the end result."

Initially, he wanted to undertake this adventure by himself, taking a carriage with his gear, and tenting overnight.

However, that idea never quite got off the ground. His father will be following him in a truck, carrying most of his supplies. Russell will be carrying what he needs for a roughly five-hour run.

Hitting the ground running

In the past, Russell has completed a 100-mile run in 21 hours straight.

As for this cross-province odyssey, he has some impressive targets in mind unpredictable weather permitting, he wants to complete the run in under two weeks.

"My big goal is to try to do two marathons a day. If I can sustain that and get some sleep in between, I think it will be really good," he said.

Russell will be off to the races on June 4.

Read morefrom CBC Newfoundland and Labrador