Isaac Walker on top of Sentinel Peak, Lake Hawea.

Running can be for those with a competitive streak; or as a healthy, relaxing pursuit; or a short term desire to get from point A to point B. Not many are passionate about running up mountains - but Isaac Walker is.

Isaac has turned his passion for running up and down hills into a Wanaka-based business touring the region’s high country. His company RunAways NZ creates "mountain inspired, trail running holidays” and each summer he guides like-minded Australians and Kiwis, and even the occasional North American or Israeli, on journeys through some of New Zealand’s most spectacular, undisturbed back-country.

Limited to 10 runners at a time, each of his five tours takes the better part of a week. Four of the five explore high country trails in this region and the fifth follows an 85km tour of the old Ghost Road, near Greymouth.  

"I like to make an adventure out of the activity and create an amazing experience that they can’t do easily by themselves,” he said. "Our tours are stripped back, so it’s just them and the mountain. We often get comments that, at the start, they’re apprehensive they might hold back the group, or be too slow, but we’re not about that. The running has to be for pleasure - it’s a holiday tour not a training camp.”

The pilot tour began in November 2016. "As far as I knew no-one was doing running tours in New Zealand and the eight spots sold out quickly,” he said. The six night tour featured two nights each in Lauder, Wanaka and Queenstown, running trails on Department of Conservation high country land.

"We lucked out with one of the best groups of people. Despite the weather it just all worked perfectly. Our first run was in white-out blizzard conditions, literally minus-7 with wind chill, but we got them to the top and down and everyone survived with smiles from ear to ear.”

In fact, the group was so happy with the adventure that six of the eight have already returned for one or more further tours.

Ironically, Isaac hasn’t always been a runner. The 35-year-old Kiwi grew up in Dunedin and holidays often included visits to his grandmother in Alexandra. But he didn’t get into running until he moved to Australia where he competed for six years and got involved in off-road trail running.

He went from a 10km race to a 100km. "That’s when my eyes were opened to long distance running I never knew existed. I discovered I love the hills, the steep stuff - I’m a little bit nutty in that way.”

He gave away competition to rediscover "the thrill of running without a watch; I forgot about pace - just running for the pure enjoyment”.

Isaac was in Australia for 12 years, initially working in the tourism industry as a bus driver and tour guide. He’d started out in the industry as a young adult on the boats in Milford and working as a porter in a Dunedin hotel, but his progression into tour guiding came about because of a desire to conquer a personal phobia - public speaking.

"I sort of jumped in the deep end and I found I loved it. Tour guiding was brilliant. Seeing their enjoyment, their reactions to the environment was gold to me.” It also helped with the motivation to start his own business.

It was during a month long holiday back home visiting friends and family Isaac had an epiphany.

"I got out on the trails and realised what had been in my backyard all this time was amazing. Australia introduced me to running but I never really appreciated how amazing our country was until I returned to the mountains back here.”

"I was overwhelmed. Something had changed in me and I felt there was this big attraction to move back home.”

"My mum and dad had bought a Bed and Breakfast in Lauder (in the Maniototo) and I thought ‘wouldn’t it be great to bring people here and take them up the mountains’.”

The daydream became a business case and he talked a close Australian friend and personal trainer, Will Lind, into joining him as a tour guide. Both are accredited running coaches.

The longer tours attract mostly Australians, 80 percent of whom are women aged between 35-50 years. "I didn’t anticipate that,” Isaac said. "But I think the women who sign up are a little bit more courageous, more ballsy, and they like the group situation where they feel comfortable and secure and are not afraid to put themselves out there.”

The original company, RunAways NZ has spawned RunAways Wanaka which caters for a wider range of individual fitness levels by providing day trips hiking, running and family tours.

Isaac and his son Josh on Josh’s first overnight hike to the Fern Burn hut.

These individually crafted day trips might include a hike up Mt Isthmus or across the Skyline trail (up Roys Peak, across Mt Alpha, and down to the Cardrona Valley). "We’ll go up early to catch the sunrise, getting them up before the crowds,” Isaac said. "It’s a good opportunity to educate and inform visitors about the high country, to talk about conservation and enjoying the environment, packing everything out that we brought in.”

The Wanaka-based business means Isaac can stay involved with his family, wife Sue, son Josh (who starts at Hawea Flat school next term) and young Scarlett.

When not running guided tours, Isaac is currently working as a operational maintenance jack-of-all-trades at the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds. But he hopes to return to rostered employment as a firefighter. A qualified and experienced firefighter, Isaac has applied for a position as a Rescue Fire Fighter at Queenstown Airport.

"Firefighting is in my blood a little bit,” Isaac said. "And that would be my dream; to be employed as a fireman and work my business around that.”

PHOTOS: Supplied