FROM ZERO TO HERO

THESE THREE WOMEN ARE LIVING PROOFT HAT IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO TAKE UP

RUNNING AND THAT, NO MATTER WHEN YOU GET STARTED, YOU’RE STILL CAPABLE

OF ACHIEVINGAM AZING THINGS …

WORDS: LISA JACKSON

“I RAN 860KM IN 40ºC HEAT JUST SIX YEARS AFTER STARTING RUNNING”

■ “When I took up running, eight years ago, I never thought I would run 860km or complete the Coast 2 Kosci, Australia’s longest road ultra, three times,” says Kirrily Dear, 46, from New South Wales in Australia. “Running came naturally to me – my fitness was poor compared to now, but I was focused on running for the enjoyment of it. The day I got off the sofa in 2008 and decided to go for a run, I did it for me and not for anyone else. It was the first time in a while when something had been purely an investment in my personal happiness. Over time, I found I had enough energy and interest to keep going a bit further. It was a hobby that became an obsession.

“To celebrate my 40th birthday, in 2011, I ran 262km on the Great North Walk, a trail between Sydney and Newcastle, with two of my girlfriends. We were the first women ever to run it. I was really proud, but I was also pretty sure I didn’t want to commit to such a big run again. Little did I know that three years later I’d more than triple that distance by running 860km over 12 days through regional New South Wales to raise awareness about domestic violence. I ran in 40ºC heat, very carefully, one kilometre at a time. Managing your core temperature is the most important thing as you can die very quickly from heatstroke. I kept my body fully covered to prevent sunburn and doused myself with water every one or two kilometres in the hottest part of the day. I also rested every couple of hours with ice on my neck and in my armpits.