Emma Hayes and her first ultra marathon

I’m Emma from Ireland and living and working in Christchurch.

I have always been keen on sports doing the odd 5km or 10km charity run but never took myself too seriously. I started rowing in University and that’s when things started to get serious. I was hooked and training 12-14 times a week seemed fine despite there only being 7 days in a week. This is when I got competitive…

After moving to New Zealand, I wanted to try new sports and took up trail running last year after getting bored with road running. I always dreaded the hills but the rewards far outweighed the burning quads with an amazing view at the top. It gave me the opportunity to explore new places and go on mini-adventures.

I started with CP in January and once again I’m hooked. I started training with CP in preparation for The Goat goes Bush event last March. Now, I’ve stepped things up a notch and have entered the Taraweras 50km event in November having never run a marathon. The furthest I’ve ever run in an event is a half marathon. After going along to the Thursday sessions and hearing Simon and other CPers speaking positively and passionately about ultras, I thought why not have a go. So to get me over the finish line Simon Huntley has been drafted in and so I will see what “fun” he has in store for me over the coming months. Watch this space!