Yonni Kepes ran day and night for 29 hours to achieve his dream of becoming the youngest Kiwi to race a 100-miler

Most of us wouldn't even consider running a full marathon but for Kiwi teenager Yonni Kepes, 42km stopped being long enough a while ago.The 18-year-old from North Canterbury has become the youngest known New Zealander to complete a 100-mile ultramarathon.  He achieved his big feat at the Hanmer Old Forest Ultramarathon last May where he spent 29 hours running to cross the finish line and receive his long-awaited buckle. That was the culmination of a years-long dream for Kepes, who first took up running when he was about 9 or 10 years old, just as an excuse to spend more time with his dad, Ben Kepes, who also runs ultramarathons. "It was special to finish my first marathon, but I was convinced I could go further and eventually set my mind on ultramarathons."

posted Thursday June 7th