“There are many reasons why I run. I love the freedom of trail running, the bush, the mountain air, the ever-changing vistas – there is something very grounding & peaceful about being out there in the wild with your only concern being getting yourself home under your own steam.
Why do I subject myself to the pain of running Ultras?
Simply that I enjoy the challenge – pushing my body & mind far beyond where daily life takes us, discovering just what you are capable of and proving to my kids that anything is possible.
I enjoy the journey, the solitude, and the sense of achievement at the finish line.
I’ve always had a passion for the outdoors & was lucky enough to grow up in a family that fuelled that love with frequent tramping, fishing, camping & hunting trips. I was sporty and a keen runner as a child but always sprints & short distances. I couldn’t get my head around long distance running then. Now it seems the older I get the further I want to run!
I fell into trail running by accident really, a crazy bet between my brother & I twenty years ago resulted in me entering us both in the Avalanche Peak Challenge as a joke.
Complete novices with no idea how to properly prepare for a race like this, we suffered badly attempting the 26km, 1300m climb! I remember spending the pre-race night in tents, awake, freezing in a hoar frost, and way too close to a thunderous main truck route. This combined with dubious training, poor gear choices & no clue about race nutrition – it’s no surprise it was one tough day, a shocker, it should have put us off forever… wrong. Badly dehydrated, exhausted and reliant on passing male runners to pull me through the thigh deep river crossings, I finally dragged myself over the finish line close to passing out, wondering ‘whose stupid idea was this?!’ Half an hour later we were both excitedly debating what we could enter next!
From that very shaky start I was hooked, and among other events, the 60km Kepler Challenge became my constant. Hoping to complete my 15th event in 2023, it is a trail that I’ve lost a fair amount of blood, sweat & tears on over the years, a course that has shaped my running journey & created so many awesome memories. My husband even got down on one knee across the alpine section of the Kepler Challenge to propose mid race. Of course I said yes. Then kept running.
I’ve pushed myself to distances I once believed impossible, completing both the Tarawera Ultra 100KM and the 100 Miler in recent years. I’ve loved taking on the challenge of team multisport events such as Godzone & Spring Challenge too. And running the Great walks – such a great way of visiting new places while avoiding the crowds!
I’ve never run to any training guidelines, just when, where and as far as I feel like… sometimes it’s easy and sometimes it’s tough, but either way, I’ve always returned from my runs a better person. Whether it be for fun, fitness, sanity, personal challenge… or just to earn my glass of wine at the end of the day! The reward always outweighs the effort.”
(Wellington)
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