Craig Sisterson's Fundraising Page

The before pic: me at 132kgs plus (290lbs) at Round the Bays, March 2012

Not after, but 'during' - before the birthday run, 20 Sept. About 20kgs lost

A side benefit of all the walking and running - getting out and about and seeing cool things around the city, early in the morning and at night…

My first event: 14km run at Race 4 of the Unitec series, 9 September 2012

Each day 16 New Zealanders die as a result of coronary heart disease. That's one person every 90 minutes. And many of these deaths are premature and preventable.

Cardiovascular disease is the single leading cause of death in New Zealand, causing 40 percent of all deaths - making it more deadly than all forms of cancer.

New research shows that young adults in their 20s and 30s are being admitted to hospital for heart attacks more than ever before, and that this age group is dying at a faster rate than people of the same age in previous generations. Much of this change is due to unhealthy lifestyles - poor eating habits, lack of physical activity and being a smoker.

Those of you who've known me the past few years will know I've succumbed to some of those very same bad habits myself. I'm lucky enough that I've taken steps (with many, many more still to be taken, literally) to fight back before it's too late.

The good news is that many risk factors for heart disease are preventable, if people make healthy lifestyle choices. Which is exactly what I'm doing in 2012, by setting myself the biggest physical challenge I've ever undertaken: running a marathon.

I've got 40kgs to lose (90lbs for my buddies in the USA), and many, many kms/miles to run between now and October, but I'm willing and determined to put in all those hard yards.

So, help me as I join the race to beat heart disease.

I've signed up as a Heart Racer to raise money to support the Heart Foundation. By donating through my webpage you will be helping the Heart Foundation continue its vital work in research, cardiac rehabilitation, education programmes and resources.

I'll do all the hard work (train for and complete the event), but I really need you to make a difference to the hearts of New Zealanders.

So, please could you sponsor me?

Right from the start, I decided to aim high - originally $50 for each km I run on the day, totalling $2,109.75.

That seemed like a lot, but I knew there were many people who would support me, and bit by bit, we'd all get there. Just like I would with my training. And sure enough, with around a month to go we were already at the $2,000 mark - with many other people having pledged to donate/support too. So - like anything - you re-evaluate your goals and try to push on even higher.

So now we've raised the bar, A LOT ($100 per km). Impossible? Maybe. But life surprises you sometimes, and I know so many amazing people. So let's see how high we can push this thing…

Select the "Make a donation" button below. It's simple, fast and totally secure and the money goes directly to the Heart Foundation's bank account.

If you live in New Zealand your donation is tax deductible and a receipt will be issued.

So please help me today! And pass it on to your family and friends!

Many thanks for your support