Volunteer
“I’ve always enjoyed being involved in charity events: I love everything from 24-hour famines to organising music concerts. Since moving to New Zealand from England, I continued my charity work by volunteering at Starship children’s hospital one day a week.
“When I first qualified as a teacher I spent a month in India helping orphaned children with a charity called New Hope. It was a real eye-opener. Many of the children had lost their parents and siblings in horrible circumstances, or had escaped the sex trade. But all of them had incredible goals for the future, whether it was to become a doctor, teacher or mechanic.”
“There was no limit to their dreams, and the positivity was contagious. New Hope really nurtured each child and provided them with a sense of hope and self-worth.”
For the love of running
“I first got into running eight years ago. In the beginning I liked nothing about it! It was only after my husband James signed me up for a half marathon (with only three months to train) that I fell in love with running.
“When I crossed the finish line, I was hooked. I soon discovered trail running and went on to complete the Marathon des Sables – a 250km race over 5-6 days in the Sahara Desert.
“Trail running makes me feel immensely happy. Being surrounded by nature and away from the bustle of modern life gives me a strong sense of freedom and happiness.
“It’s often when I come up with my best ideas. After arriving in New Zealand, I heard about Te Araroa, the trail which travels the entire length of New Zealand – 3,000km from Cape Reinga to Bluff. I decided to run the trail and donate all proceeds to both Starship and New Hope.”
Training diary
“The training was full-on but I really enjoyed it. It was vital for both my physical and mental training that I ran every day. Once I was on the trail running every day was non-negotiable.
“To prepare, I ran for roughly 25 minutes each evening after work, then did a medium run on Saturday (roughly 1.5 hours) and a long, slow run on Sunday (three hours plus). I also added in an hour of strength training each week.”
Overcoming Fears
“There were so many things to consider when planning a challenge of this scale. My main concern was unpredictable weather.
“Getting lost was also a worry, so I was prepared with a GPS, spot tracker, paper map and a trusty old compass. I had a long list of fears but I tried not to dwell on them too much. I felt comforted by the fact that I had some long-distance trail-running experience behind me.”
Words by: Daisy Sillis
Photos: Supplied
