Ultramarathoner Jeff Lau runs to help fight HIV/Aids

MALAYSIANSKINI | Jeff Lau is not your typical jock who works out five hours a day to get into top physical shape nor is he a health nut who watches everything he eats, which is what one might expect from someone who runs ultramarathons.

As it turns out, Lau is a regular guy working as a freelance illustrator who wanted to do something more with his life and that desire led him to go the distance. In the case of an ultramarathon, that’s longer than the traditional marathon length of 42.195km. So this type of footrace is not for your everyday casual jogger or brisk walker.

Not only does this out-and-out KL boy have the physical and mental fitness for such a feat, but he has a healthy sense of humour too as he joked: “I am Malaysian, I don’t do sports.”

Lau's latest completed race was the Montane Lapland Arctic Ultra in the Swedish Arctic in March.

This gruelling 500km race in minus 30 degrees Celsius is not for the faint-hearted, but it was something a person like Lau was willing to go through to raise money for the Paediatric Aids Fund, a programme that helps keep...