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Running 100km a day for charity

Matthew Eckford is running 100kms a day in eight different capital cities to raise money for charity. He is pictured at the school running with Hale pupils. Picture: Ian Munro /The West Australian

While most people were huddled indoors during storms yesterday, Matthew Eckford rose before 3am to spend the day running 100km around a school oval in Perth, before boarding a flight to Adelaide to repeat the feat.

The Brisbane man ran the same distance in Darwin on Sunday.

And he will run 100km every day for the rest of the week in a remarkable attempt to cover 800km in eight consecutive days in Australia's capital cities to raise money for five children's hospitals, including WA's Princess Margaret Hospital.

Mr Eckford said he had worked as a volunteer at a children's hospital in Brisbane for the past two years and seen first-hand how money raised by the public was helping sick children.

"I really wanted to make an impact myself," he said.

"I knew I had to do something unique, and no one had ever done 100km per day for eight consecutive days in each of the eight capital cities."

He decided to run in schools so that students could join his fundraising efforts - and because school ovals would be easier on his feet.