Soldier’s drive comes from helping others

• Published date: 24 April 2024
• Publication title: Hastings Leader, The

He was lying at home waiting for a back operation in 2017, scrolling through Facebook when a fundraising page for a young girl named Liv who needed Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy Surgery (SDRS) caught his eye

“I read her story and thought. ‘I can help this girl’. I didn’t know how, while I was lying there with a herniated disc, but I messaged her mum and said I’d like to help,” he said.

An SDRS operation can give children with cerebral palsy greater walking ability, muscle control and improved balance. Liv’s surgery would cost $150,000 and wasn’t covered by government funding.

So, McCrory gathered his local Crossfit crew and started on his incredible journey of fitness fundraising. In 2019, he ran 160km to raise funds for children needing SDRS, and that was just the start.

He’s also run from Napier Pier to Rongomaraeroa-o-ngā-hau-e-whā Army National Marae in Waiouru to raise money for the RSA and during the summer of 2021-22, he ran the length of New Zealand - 2060km - raising more than $50,000 for charity.

“I was stoked, my goal was $20,000,” the now 49-year-old said.

McCrory’s latest feat of strength will likely be his toughest yet, as he becomes just the sixth New Zealander to be selected to participate in the 217km Badwater 135...