“Running stokes my fire. On trails (mostly), in the hands of Mother Nature, I bask in the solitude, finding calmness and clarity. I’m able to disconnect and set in motion a reconnect.
I established a daily running habit in my early teens. Yearning for timeout from the confinement of Boarding School, I turned to running – outside the front gate for 30mins before breakfast. Instantly, I recognised the mental and physical health benefits. I was hooked.
Up until five years ago, I ran most days, solely for well-being. I’d enter the odd event, but only at a recreational level. The 2005 Auckland Marathon was my first sizeable running goal, in fact the only official marathon I’ve ever run… chosen with my 30th birthday looming. I finished in 3hrs 36mins – not bad for a first attempt. Unfortunately, just as I was getting started, I received news that my mother’s breast cancer diagnosis was terminal. So I moved down to Blenheim, to be with her and Dad.
I continued to run, however my focus shifted away from race goals, and back to well-being.
It’s probably fair to say, I wouldn’t be the runner I am today if my mother was still around. When she became ill, Dad and her had just sold the farm and semi-retired. They had plans to start travelling the world – this never happened. Her passing at 55 was a wake up call – to live today. And running helped ease the grief. The further I ran the more alive I felt.
In 2010, I discovered ultras and what was particularly appealing, was the associated opportunities to explore the world. You could say, one of the reasons I’m running ultras is to make up for what Mum missed out on. Aside from keeping me healthy from the inside out, I was compelled to tap into my unlimited potential and see where I could really go.“
Fiona @fionahayvice
(Wellington)
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Portraits of Runners + their stories
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