Going the distance earns run of good results

Long distance running requires a certain kind of grit and the ability to pace yourself – something that running coach and ultra marathon competitor Jaime Stevenson says makes the format perfect for women to shine.

Jaime and two friends, physiotherapist Karen Donaldson-Barron and personal trainer and running coach Maree Leith, demonstrated this last month with podium performances in marathons and ultra marathons – including an epic 161km effort that “almost broke” Stanmore Bay’s Maree Leith.

Maree, 45, ran her first ultra marathon, 100km, around her local streets last year during lockdown (HM May 20, 2020) and she also completed the Oxfam 100km in March, but the 161km Hanmer Ultra took this to a whole new level and saw her place third in the female division.

The 34 hour effort required running around a 10km loop 16 times. As always, Maree’s family was there to support her, and the scenery was beautiful, but she says it took everything she had to complete it.

“I was lucky to come away with just a bit of soft tissue damage on the soles of my feet, from the repetitive motion,” she says.

Once she has spent time acknowledging the achievement and recovering, Maree plans to compete in next year’s South Island Ultra.

For Gulf Harbour resident Karen Donaldson-Barron, 39, placing third in the Hawkes Bay Marathon last month, while a massive achievement, came second to the fact that she broke three hours. She completed the marathon in 2:57:36 – averaging 4:11 per km – and says breaking three hours was the goal for that event.

She says crossing that off her list will make it easier to go hard for a top five placing in her next event, the Auckland Marathon.

At 44 years old, Jaime Stevenson of Dairy Flat has a long history of multi-day running events to look back on. Even so, winning the NZ 100km championship recently in Christchurch was a highlight. It was her third win for a 100km event, but her time of just over 10 hours was her fastest to date. She says preparing for the Riverhead Relapse proved to be the perfect training for the  NZ champs.

Jaime says ultra distance is one field where  men and women can compete more equally – her win put her in the top five overall for the NZ 100km champs.

Her next challenge will be a 200km event in Naseby in August.