Pictures: Stephen Barker
A s a long-distance runner, Camille French is used to going it alone. However, the highs and lows of the last two years have taught her that some things are better as a team sport.
When Camille, 33, last chatted to Woman’s Day, she was in the final trimester of pregnancy with her first child. Now she’s gearing up to travel to Paris for the 2024 Olympics, with her husband and two year-old daughter in tow.
“It’s weird to think how different things are now,” she reflects.
She and Cameron, 32, welcomed baby Sienna on 17 June 2022. The first years of motherhood have been joyful for Camille, but she admits parts of her new life are harder than any marathon.
“With both running and parenting, you’re trying your best,” she explains. “But with running, usually it works out – if you train harder, you will improve. With parenting, you think one day you’ve nailed it, then the next day everything changes and you’re like, ‘What the heck?!’”
Throughout Camille’s pregnancy, she and Cameron had talked about what kind of parents they wanted to be. “I’m pleased we did as much prep as we could before Sienna was born, because once you have a baby, you don’t talk as much – you’re just in it.”
Fostering independence and confidence in Sienna has always been important to the couple. “We want to be there always, as much as possible, but we also want her to feel capable and comfortable in her own skin.”
Their wish was granted – perhaps a little too much, Camille jokes. At almost two, Sienna is already determined to load the dishwasher, empty the bin, get things out of the fridge, set the table, fasten her own seatbelt, check on dinner in the oven… the list goes on. Her favourite words are, “Sisi can do it!” or, “I do it myself!”
“Sometimes we’re like, ‘Can you be a little bit needy?’” she says with a laugh.
Camille herself has always been fiercely independent. She knew that asking for help would be crucial once Sienna came along – especially with the Olympics looming – but it was easier said than done.
“I felt guilty that I was taking up other people’s time to look after Sienna while I was training,” she recalls. “I thought, ‘How important is my training? All I’m doing is going for a run.’
“But when Sienna was about eight months, I was able to say, ‘Hang on, no, it is important that I do my training. I can leave the house for a couple of hours a day!’”
At first, Camille worried she would never get back into pre-baby shape. “My body was just not the same. I could push into my stomach and there was no firmness. I would run differently because I didn’t have any muscle.”
The turning point came when Sienna was 10 months old. Camille grew frustrated by how hard an “easy” run with her dad, Lloyd Buscomb, felt. That’s when it all came out.
“I said to Dad, ‘Look, I can’t do it. How the heck can I go from this to running an Olympic qualifier?’”
That moment of honesty made all the difference. “Mum and Dad must have gone and talked about it. Suddenly it was like, ‘Right, Mum’s coming over on Wednesday and Friday…’ It was just happening.”
Other friends and family stepped up to the plate too. “Literally a week later, once I’d admitted it all, I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to Paris.’ I needed all these people to tell me I could do it. Training was easy after that. A lot of things in life are like that.
“You’re struggling along, not telling anyone you’re struggling. Just admitting it makes a big difference.”
Camille’s mum, Cheryl, and mother-in-law, Sheryl, started babysitting regularly so she could train. Cameron, a former elite athlete and cyclist, had recently ended his sporting career and begun a job in construction management, which meant a punishing commute from Hamilton to Auckland. While he wasn’t able to care for Sienna through the week, his emotional support meant everything to Camille.
“Sometimes I’ve said, ‘I can’t do it. It’s impossible. I can’t do the training, I can’t get the help.’ And he’d say, ‘Right, we need to sit down and make another plan. How can we make it work?’”
The couple got married on 27 January 2023, as the upper North Island was battered by torrential rain and the worst floods in modern history. They quickly relocated their dream outdoor reception, with 360-degree harbour views, to a boatshed.
Although it wasn’t what Camille had hoped for, there was something extra-special about seeing her loved ones cheerfully pitch in to move everything indoors.
“It showed people’s true colours,” she says. “The rain was soaking everyone, but we still had an awesome time.”
With the wedding over, Camille was able to focus more on her Paris goal. In December 2023, she put in a remarkable performance at the Valencia Marathon in Spain, beating the Olympic qualifying standard by 42 seconds and achieving the second fastest time ever by a New Zealand woman.
On 11 August, Cameron and Sienna will watch from the sidelines, along with Camille’s sister Tessa, as she vies for the Olympic gold medal. Looking back, Camille marvels at how far she’s come. After almost giving up hope, finding the courage to ask for help, and pulling off the near-impossible feat of being both a new mum and a world-class athlete.
The struggle has been worth it. “In the end, it makes me run better, because I’m just so grateful to be able to do it.”
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