“I have always enjoyed running. Growing up I have vague memories of running cross country and a bit of track. I was never fast enough for the sprints so leaned more towards the longer events. I may be wrong, but I have a memory of being told by a teacher when I was around 14 that I wasn’t a good enough runner to compete, or something like that. Anyways I gave up running on its own about this time and just focussed on team sports.
I played basketball and volleyball but my main game was soccer which of course still involves running. I continued to run for personal health and fitness and to aid with my soccer. It was also just something I could do easily when I started travelling. I just enjoy the freedom of getting out in nature. I’ve also never really been comfortable with my body but the feeling I get when I’m running of being fit and strong makes me appreciate what it can do. I would run on the trails for the nature aspect and the solitude but I didn’t know that ‘trail running’ was an actual sport.
I started to hear about some running races other than the typical road events and for some reason I decided to enter the 2018 Miner’s Trail as part of the Motatapu event. I self-generated a training plan with some on-line assistance, but really had no clue what I was doing. I ended up really enjoying the race and doing quite well considering. When my friend Katy suggested I run the Southern Lakes half marathon a couple of weeks later, I went for it and also did ok. Maybe I’d found an aspect of running that I was actually good enough at after all. I did a couple more road races and then I discovered more trail races and the world of ultra-running when I paced Katy for 50km of her first 100km race. I enjoyed figuring out a training regime that included different workouts with some speed and strength components and I enjoyed seeing the results. I’m quite competitive so running became a way to stoke that fire outside of team sports.
In 2019 I got a coach, Lance Smith, who is a legend and was instrumental in my initial development. The last 5 years have been a constant learning path, with many ups and downs, as I navigate this sport and how to get the best out of myself. I continue to run because I still just love getting into the outdoors, enjoying the beauty of nature and exploring places at a faster pace. It’s also the time when I can completely tune out everything else in life and just feel free. I continue to race to challenge myself, to grow and develop as an athlete and also for the competition.
I gave up soccer a few years ago as I wanted to focus on something where I was the only one accountable. However, I have since learned that although running seems like an individual sport, it really does take a support team to get me to the places I want to go at the level I want to be at. Trail running has also introduced me to a whole new community of people all around the world that I haven’t found with anything else before. I am forever grateful for the immediate team of people around me as well as the wider community who has accepted me for me. I hope to continue to race and explore my potential for as long as I can but more importantly I hope to be able to run and explore the natural world for even longer.”
Jessica @jessgriffcampbell
(Christchurch)
Photo taken at the Kepler Challenge
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