Ultrarunning shark enthusiast on a mission to raise awareness for endangered species

For Dave Wise, who is on a 50-day marathon streak to raise awareness for sharks, running became part of his life after he was the victim of a violent attack

Anne Francis November 22, 2018

Inspired by late Toronto filmmaker Rob Stewart’s films Sharkwater (2006) and Sharkwater Extinction (2018), Toronto ultrarunner Dave Wise, 50, is almost halfway through a 50-day Run for Sharks Challenge, which he created to raise awareness of sharks as an endangered species. Wise is running a marathon every day for 50 days, and has collected a group of people running the same streak at various shorter distances.

Wise scuba diving in Costa Rica in 2018. Photo: courtesy of Dave Wise

Wise wanted to help draw attention to Sharkwater Extinction, which was finished by Stewart’s crew after Stewart’s mysterious death during filming last year in the Florida Keys. Stewart “gave everything in his effort to educate us all about why sharks are so important to human survival,” says Wise. “We hope that by running… we’ll encourage others to see the film, to understand Rob’s message, and to discover ways of working together to dig humanity out of the hole it’s got itself into.” Wise even travelled to Costa Rica to participate in a shark conservation project earlier this year.

Wise at Road2Hope earlier this month (marathon #1 of 50). Photo: courtesy of Dave Wise

The running challenge started with the Road2Hope Marathon in Hamilton, Ont. on November 4. A few days ago, on day 15 of the challenge, he told us, “I’m feeling quite OK really, considering I’ve got 15 and a half marathons under my belt so far. At the weekends I do the whole distance in one go, and on weekdays I do a half-marathon on the way to work [Wise is a facilities manager at Lush Cosmetics in Etobicoke, Ont.] and the other half as I run home, logging it all on Strava as a I go.”

Wise on marathon #19 of 50. Photo: courtesy of Dave Wise

Shockingly, Wise, who also publishes TrekandRun.com, an international site for trail and ultrarunners, became a runner about 11 years ago after a vicious beating by a gang of drunken football fans in the U.K., where he grew up. He suffered a ruptured spleen and internal injuries that put him in the hospital for a month, followed by several months’ recovery. “I’ve travelled to over 70 countries, and been robbed in Colombia, Brazil and Kenya,” says Wise, “but this was the first time anything so pointlessly violent had happened to me.”

Wise on marathon #18 of 50. Photo: courtesy of Dave Wise

He goes on: “I was terribly traumatized, and to run in nature was a great comfort to me.” Wise gradually built up to the marathon distance, running his first marathon in Sri Lanka in 2008, when he was sent there on a travel reporting assignment. Ultimately he came to embrace longer races, including the Marathon des Sables in the Moroccan Sahara, which he has run twice.

Wise at Marathon des Sables 2018. Photo: Ian Corless

He has persuaded a few friends to join him on the current 50-day challenge, committing to whatever daily distance they feel comfortable with. “A couple of them are not runners at all, so for them to be doing even 3K a day in this cold weather is pretty outstanding.” Those participating are doing so out of a fascination with sharks, or a desire to spend more time outside, or both.

Wise on marathon #15 of 50. Photo: courtesy of Dave Wise

Referring to the attack, Wise says: “I think of that time often when I run now. I’m so grateful to have the chance to feel the sunlight on my face, to feel the tiredness in my legs, to feel the companionship of my friends on the trails, and even to feel the chilly -19 C wind as I did today! It’s all such a blessing, to still be able to feel these simple things, and I hope I repay life in some small way by doing little challenges as I am now, trying to be of service to society and to use my love of running to raise awareness for people, charities and projects I believe in, which in this case is Rob Stewart and his Sharkwater project and films.”

To learn more or find out how you can get involved, contact Dave Wise at dave@trekandrun.com, visit the Sharkwater site, and use the hashtags #runforsharks and #sharkwaterextinction.

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