Эпизоды
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What better way to celebrate running than filling our lives with Runcations! - Adventure runs with spectacular locations thrown in! That's exactly how Belinda Gerace likes to run, and we agree that this is the best way to not only enjoy our running journey, but to travel and see amazing places as we explore new locations on foot!
In this episode we chat with Sydney mum of two and photographer, Belinda Gerace about her recent experience at the 2024 Tarawera Ultra Marathon where she competed in the 100km event. We chat about the race itself, including our own RMA contingent that went over, the location and the experiences that Belinda had enjoying not only the terrain, but the culture of New Zealand, and how she loves to combine her love of running and adventure with travel and exploration.
This episode might just leave you booking your next runcation and leave you thinking could the run take you?
When Belinda isn't running and exploring, and being a busy mum, you can find her behind the camera lense where she photographs newborn babies and families, and is quite talented at it too! You can follow Belinda and her business over at @belgerace on instagram.
This episode is brought to you by fisiocrem Australia
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On Episode 68 of the podcast I speak with friends and adventurers, Chris Ord and Michelle Hooper. Chris is the Founder of Tour De Trails, a trail adventure company based in the Surf Coast of Victoria which hosts numerous trail events in Oz, and running tours here and abroad. We also speak with his partner in life, Mum, Tour De Trails Guide, and RMA Ambassador Michelle Hooper about all things living for the adventure on the run!
I dive into Chris's background in Trails and how he started his adventure Company which now hosts not only great events on our shores but curates the most incredible trail running tours in the most spectacular landscapes across the world from the countryside of England going from pub to pub, to the shores of Crete, the jungles of Bali, the mountains of Geneva running into Chamonix in France and much more.
We chat about what drives them to adventure, and their passion to seek places to explore that will excite, challenge and inspire their clients to live their most adventurous life while having a running holiday of a lifetime. We discuss logistics of tours, what they love, what the most commonly asked questions are, like "will I keep up?" and how their tours are different from the rest which will leave you feeling like family itching to jump on the next one! So much so that so many of their clients come back again and again tour after tour.
This conversation will inspire you to dream of the places that you might like to run, and that you can embark on in the safety of an experienced guide and a group, and might just leave you booking the 2024 running tour of your dreams with Tour De Trails!
Tours for 2024 include Bali, England, Geneva to Chamonix, Crete and they can also do bespoke at your request, and if you book before the 10th of December you get a golden ticket to all 5 original Tour De Trails running events for 2024!
For more information and to book visit www.tourdetrails.com
You can visit them also on insta at @tourdetrails @onelifewild and @mish_hooper
If you are a member of the RMA member program check your membership for your $300 & $250 off deals for 2024 deals!
This episode is brought to you by fisiocrem Australia
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Пропущенные эпизоды?
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Kellie Angel (nee Emmerson), is one of Australia's best female trail and ultra runners. In this episode I get to ask all the burning questions that have been on my mind about training, returning to running postpartum and balance from this inspiring mum!
Kellie has a long list of accolades to her name, but most recently this year she placed 41st F at the 2023 World Mountain & Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck-Stubai, Austria, was 2nd F at the 80K Lavaredo Ultra Trail in the Dolomites, Italy and culminated her European adventures with 17th F Place at UTMB CCC (100k) in Chamonix, France.
Kellie is an extremely experienced trail runner having gone from Amateur Runner to Elite Athlete over her running career which has spanned the last decade or so. From humble beginnings at a Melbourne charity race to running on the world stage, Kellie shares with us her captivating story, her determination, passion and her pursuit of excellence in the sport that she loves.
In this episode we discuss Kellie's early beginnings in the sport, her lead into successful racing and competing, the role of family in her journey and her most memorable races and achievements, including the thrill of representing her country on the world stage. We discuss how Kellie manages to balance her running career with her personal life, her vocation and family, and how balance is a contributing factor to her success in the sport, and she shares tips for us to strike a similar balance. We also dive into her return to running postpartum, and she shares some advice for mums returning back. Then we hear about her recent adventures in Europe training and racing whilst travelling and adventuring with her young family.
You can find out more about Kellie over on instagram at @Kelemmo or head to her business page www.enduranceedge.com.au to find out more about her coaching or buy T8 Run Gear.
Thanks to this weeks' sponsor, fisiocrem Australia.
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While we are on the roll with podcasts about Marathons, we thought it would be great to interview RMA Community Ambassador Jodie Cumner about her recent experience at the Bravehearts 777 Marathon this year.
This podcast will have you asking if a marathon is something that you might like to try your hand at, but maybe it will keep you wondering what it would be like to run 7 in a row, day after day and amongst jumping on planes to travel to a different state each time!
In this episode we unpack Jodies journey with running and how it inspired her to live an authentic life, finding more about herself along the way, and growing as a person. We deep dive into how running helped her to overcome some hard times, and how this journey has evolved and changed and brought a community of people into her life to motivate her, and in turn for her to support and encourage them as both a coach and mentor to many.
We discuss what it feels like to run 7 back to back marathons in different states, and the reasons behind why she signed up to the Bravehearts 777 Marathon Challenge, and how this experience helped her to learn things about herself, and to support a wonderful cause.
If you would like to participate in the Bravehearts 777 Marathon Challenge next year, head to https://bravehearts.org.au/support-us/777-marathon/ or to support Bravehearts head to www.bravehearts.org.au to find out more.
To follow Jodie and her many adventures on the trails and roads, or join in her communities you can follow her over on instagram at @informrunningjodie or @gc_trail_chix.
This podcast is brought to you by fisiocrem Australia
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It is no surprise that after the Covid-19 Pandemic, marathons are popular. It seems that everyone took up running or walking during this time to get outside, breath in some fresh air and stay active. Many people kept this habit going, and the running community boomed. Speak with any race director or running store and they would agree. Running is KING. As we all know we start small, but then as our journey takes shape we desire to push our comfort zones. Enter the marathon. Every runners dream. Two years on after the pandemic, marathon participation in Australia is exceeding expectations. Recently, the 2023 Melbourne Marathon to be held this coming October sold out months before its start gun is due to go off, and similarly, the Sydney Marathon half marathon event sold out too, and on their way to World Major Marathon Candidacy, they have secured over 14,000 MARATHON registrations to date at the time of this podcast recording - that is INCREDIBLE!
Because of this surge in popularity with marathon running, we wanted to do a podcast all about it, so we put some questions to our RMA community about what they wanted to know, and I gathered some experts to help me answer them- 4 time Olympic Marathon runner, Lisa Weightman, and Six Star World Major Marathon Finisher, Ana Croger. Both these ladies are busy working mums, and RMA Ambassadors and have run collectively over 40 marathons!- with Lisa in her 20's and Ana due to run her 20th marathon in Sydney this year! They know a thing or two about what it means to run and train for a marathon, and how to prepare yourself to have the best marathon experience.
In this episode we discuss what they love about marathons, and what it would mean for Australia to have Sydney Marathon as a World Major Marathon if it succeeds in its' candidature, how to train for a marathon, what to do on marathon day, and how to recover from a marathon.
We discuss things like training, nutrition, time management, cross training, mindset and recovery and a thousand other things in this witty and long run length episode that is designed to keep you company on some of your biggest training runs!
We hope that you love this episode, and we are here to answer any questions that you might have about marathons. If you need anything answered, please reach out to us!
This episode is brought to you by fisiocrem Australia, which by the way everyone should own if they are marathon training!
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This week on the RMA Podcast we chat with mum, Kristina Jankulovska. Kristina is a First Generation Australian born from Macedonian Migrant Parents, and hails from Port Kembla in the Southern suburbs of Wollongong which is South of Sydney.
In this episode we chat to Kristina about how she came to running after having kids so that she could get fit and connect with other people, and gain some time for herself and her own goals.
We discuss how her running journey evolved into long distance running, and eventually ultra marathons, and how she has now formed a love for the trails! As a self-professed back of the packer, Kristina shares with us how running gave her purpose and a passion for the sport and how she has used that passion to give back to her community.
Kristina used this passion for the running community, and found a need for more resources in her local area, and so opened her own Running store, Coast to Mountain Running in 2021. Since its' inception, this humble little running store in the industrial coastal town of Port Kembla has formed a special little community and reached many who enter its' doors.
As we know, a running store is just bricks and mortar, but it's not just about selling product; it's about connecting people and fulfilling Kristina's purpose for serving her local community.
In this episode we discuss themes like being at the back of the pack, starting something new like trail running, and the imposter complex. This episode shows us that you don't have to be winning podiums to have a big influence in the running community, and you can just be a mum from the suburbs with a dream, and work hard to see it happen.
This podcast is brought to you by fisiocrem Australia.
Coast to Mountain Running is a Brand Partner of the 2023 RMA Member Benefit Program and members can get 20% off with their code in their member area at www.coasttomountainrunning.com.au or in-store.
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In Episode 63 of the RMA Podcast I speak with 35 year old Sunshine Coast mum, Penny Seldon. Penny started out running after she had her kids as a way to challenge herself and connect with other people through the isolation that motherhood can sometimes bring. First she attended parkrun, then she tried her hand at some races, joined RMA and made some meaningful connections and ran her way up to the marathon.
It wasn't until covid hit when her husband and her decided that their life in Sydney was no longer for them. They wanted more space and more freedom, and so they packed up their lives and moved to the Sunshine Coast.
Initially they didn't know anyone, but they joined their local Little Athletics Club for their boys, and made some friends that they instantly connected with, and they encouraged them to enter the world of Triathlon.
Penny's husband was a cyclist already, but Penny hadn't ridden bikes, however she was an avid horse-rider, so it couldn't be that different could it?! Turns out, Penny was actually quite good, and week after week learning from her friends Penny pushed herself out of her comfort zone of running mum, and learned to swim in open water and ride a road bike for kms at a time.
Initially Penny entered a beginner Triathlon at Triathlon Pink, and she ended up on the podium - something she didn't expect, but it motivated her even more to set herself some more Triathlon goals.
Fast forward to now, Penny recently competed in the World Sprint Duathlon Championships in Ibiza, Spain, where she placed 16th in her Age Category. Penny is now working towards the Sprint Triathlon Championships in Málaga, Spain in 2024 and some other Triathlon dreams, and proves to us that it is never too late to try a new sport and have a go at something different, and that if you work hard, you might just surprise yourself!
You can follow Penny and her journey over on Instagram where she shares at @thehungryrumma
For more information on Triathlon and where to start, head to https://www.triathlon.org.au/Home.htm
For more information on Triathlon Pink head to https://www.theeventcrew.com.au/event/triathlon-pink/
This episode was brought to you by fisiocrem Australia
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On Episode 62 of the RMA Podcast we speak with Allirra Jennings, Australia's first Indigenous Woman to finish all Six World Major Marathons. Allirra began her journey with running in 2013 after the death of her Grandmother from Diabetes. Allirra wanted to her story to be different, and so she took her health in her hands, and at 107kg she started running. First it was a shuffle, but the weight dropped off and soon she was running further than she ever thought she could. It was then that she realised that she could run a marathon if she worked hard and got the right support along the way.
She applied for the Indigenous Marathon Project, and was selected to be part of the team to train and work towards the New York Marathon, and in 2014 she crossed her first Marathon finish line. The rest is history.
Since then, Allirra has self-funded and run her way around the world, running at each World major marathon, New York, Chicago, Tokyo, London, Berlin and lastly this April in Boston to claim her Six Star Finisher Medal. Along the way Allirra has learned a lot about herself as a person, and has been a strong leader in her community, paving the way for connection and support for other Indigenous and Non-Indigenous women and men through her own initiatives such as founding the running group, The Darwin Deadly Runners and also a group supporting women running in Katherine, NT along with sharing her story.
Through this conversation you will hear how Allirra's Grandmother Sadie, herself a survivor of the Stolen Generation inspired Allirra's deep connection to her culture, and her memory was instrumental in motivating Allirra to do her best in all that she has done.
This conversation is heartwarming and educational, where we learn and celebrate Allirra's Aboriginal Heritage and and the impact that that first step into a healthier lifestyle had on not only her and her wellbeing, but that of a whole Community.
You can follow Allirra and her journey over on Instagram at @allirra_runs and you can learn more about the Abbot World Major Marathon Series at https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com.
This podcast is brought to you by fisiocrem Australia.
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Today on Episode 61 of the Podcast is my chat with young mum, Maddi Wilde! We talk about Maddi's journey to Motherhood at the age of 19; what that looked like for her and the isolation that she felt. Flash forward to now, 7 years later Maddi is mum to 6 and 2 year girls. We chat about how running helped her find community and purpose! We dive into her first experiences running, following in her mothers footsteps who taught her all she knows about running and competing, and the lows of battling post-natal depression after the birth of her daughter. We explore the thrill of entering events and running at her first marathon, and world major in New York! Maddi also talks about her love for AFL and Obstacle course racing which she is passionate about, and how sport has helped her form connections and friendships and given her purpose in her life! This podcast is brought to you by show sponsor, fisiocrem Australia.
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On Episode 60 we speak with RMA Emma Grey! Emma hails from Central West NSW, and we chat to her about what it is like to live and train in the country compared to the city!
We discuss how Emma came to running during lockdown to help cope with the overwhelming job of home schooling, remote working and parenting and to give herself some time for her, and some healthy boundaries around her life.
Emma started by running around her property, then she found parkrun, and then she met an RMA! The rest was a slippery slope! Since Emma started running she has run at numerous events, gotten a coach (Jenny Morris) and has even been on the podium at a few races!
Of course, this is because Emma has talent, but on top of that she enjoys challenging herself and working hard towards the goals that she sets for herself, even when it means running the perimeter of her property, or having to travel away from home to get the training in that she needs due to rural living.
We discuss things like safety, community, the beauty and challenges of her surroundings when running in a rural location, and what she has planned next on her running adventures!
To follow Emma, visit her on instagram over at @emma_grey85.
This episode was brought to you by fisiocrem Australia.
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Today on the podcast I have some very special guests, our RMA 'Miler Mums', Sophie Geraghty, Sarah Grealy, Emma-Rose Maber and Tina Kirwan! All of these amazing women just competed at the 2023 Tarawera Ultramarathon in the 100mile event, and I wanted to pick their brain about how that actually felt!
What does it feel like to run 100 miles?. How far is it, and why would you want to do it? What kind of training and experience do you need, and what was Tarawera specifically like as a race destination?!
We answer all these questions and more, including what it was like having your period while running 100miles, and was the course set up for this?, what do you eat and drink and do you sleep?, how do you juggle training for 100 miles while being a mum, and what lessons you learn while running this far in this episode with our amazing mums!
You can find out more about each of our guests over on their socials:
Sophie Geraghty
Sarah Grealy
Emma-Rose Maber
Tina Kirwan
And you can find out more and join us at Tarawera Ultramarathon in 2024 here.
This episode is brought to you by fisiocrem Australia.
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In this episode of the RMA Podcast I chat to RMA Coach, mum and ultra runner, Jenny Morris (or Jennifer, as I like to call her in the podcast episode :)) about her experience running the iconic Coast 2 Kosciuszko Ultramarathon. Coast 2 Kosi is the pinnacle of any Australian Ultra Runners dream. This 240km foot race takes you from the coastal township of Eden to the top of the highest point in Australia, Mt Kosciuszko summit, and back down to the finish line at Charlotte Pass. Runners are supported by their Crew along the way, and no year's weather is the same. This year, Jenny had blistering sun, and snow topped summits to contend with, but she made her way to the finish line to be the 6th female finisher in a time of 37:16:54. We discuss her experiences so far that led to her qualifying and toeing the line of her first Coast 2 Kosci experience, the hardships that came along the way, as they would with any 240km journey and how she overcame them, and how she best sums up this epic experience. If you love ultra running, and pushing your boundaries, this is the podcast for you, and it might just leave you asking yourself on your long runs, What would Jenny Morris do? (WWJMD).
You can watch Jenny's video summing up her experience here: https://youtu.be/2Sd8LYIvxh4
You can find out more about Coast 2 Kosi here: https://coasttokosci.com
You can follow Jenny over on instagram at @jenruns123
This podcast was brought to you by fisiocrem Australia.
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October marks our 9th Birthday and so I take a little break from our Podcast Hiatus to say "HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY RMA" and to say hello and thank you for all of your ongoing support over the last 9 years. To everyone who has joined, partnered or been a part of our RMA journey over the last 9 years, Thank you. For more head to www.runningmumsaustralia.com.au
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Today on the RMA Podcast we chat to Australian Ultra Running Representative, runner and Sydney mum, Simone Hayes about her experience running at the 2022 Western States Endurance Run.
Simone is no stranger to endurance events, having been 'conned' by a friend to enter her first North Face 100 (UTA) some years ago. She never looked back, and since then has forged her way on the tracks and trails of ultra events, year after year, including representing Australia on the world stage at the 24 hour World Championships in France in 2019.
Simone works as dedicated Level 3 Recreational Running Coach and PT at Energy Fitness Gymea where she shares her knowledge and skill with those who love to keep fit and active and challenge themselves also in similar pursuits.
We chat to Simone about her dedication to train and enter ultra events over 100km year after year in order to maintain her qualifiers for the Western States Endurance run, and how it felt when her name was finally pulled out of the ballot in 2021 out of over 66,000 others and years of waiting!
We discuss her training leading in, especially training for the heat, and how it all panned out on race day, what lessons she learnt and what she has in store next.
The Western States Endurance Run is a 100.2-mile (161 km) ultramarathon held on the Sierra Nevada Mountain trails each year in June. The race begins in Olympic Valley and finishes at on a high school athletics track in Auburn, California. The terrain runs through high passes and deep canyons and can record temperatures over 50 degrees while runners ascend 18,090 feet (5500 m) and descend 22,970 feet (7000 m) on their way to the finish line. Runners must finish before the 30-hour time limit for the race receive a bronze belt buckle, or runners finishing under 24 hours receive a silver belt buckle.
You can find out more about Simone at energyfitnessgymea.com.au, follow her on instagram at @energyfitnessgymea or read all about her race at https://energyfitnessgymea.com.au/blog/.
To find out more about Western States Endurance run look here.
You can also find out more about Australian Ultra Running Association (AURA), where Simone is a Committee member striving to entice more women into this amazing sport at https://www.aura.asn.au.
This podcast was brought to you by fisiocrem Australia and will be final instalment in Season 2 of the RMA Podcast.
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Today on the podcast I am speaking with one of Australia's best Middle Distance Runners, Genevieve Gregson. Genevieve is a 3x Olympic finalist having competed at the 2012 London, 2016 Rio, and (postponed) 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. She also competed in both the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games, and has been a finalist in 2 World Championships, and holds the Australian record for her chosen event, the 3000m steeplechase.
I speak to Genevieve about her journey from her idyllic childhood, growing up on a farm inland from the Gold Coast to her athletic pursuits and sliding door moments, that led her to compete as an athlete on the world stage, to her newest adventure, motherhood.
Genevieve was a talented runner as a teen, and had a passion for the sport from a very young age, and it was her parents that saw potential in her, encouraging her to take on a scholarship in the USA where she could not only study, but develop her running. Against her desires, Genevieve went, and although it took her a long time to come to terms with her situation far from home, family and friends, it was this opportunity that would lead Genevieve to qualify for her first Olympic Games in London in 2012. Not only that, Genevieve managed her way through controversy to earn her spot on the Olympic team that year, having initially being left off due to qualifying late for her position, and Athletics Australia overturning their decision allowing her to compete, which opened up a whole new world and professional running career spanning over 10 years now where Gen has competed in not only one, but two more Olympic Games.
We discuss what running meant to her and how she managed training and competing at such a high level, and we talk in depth about her recent devastating injury at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics where she suffered a ruptured Achilles while competing in the final of the 3000m steeplechase. We discuss how this injury devastated her at first, but how she has been able to rehab from her injury reframe what running looks like in her life.
It was this catalyst of events that led Genevieve and her husband Ryan to consider starting their family, and amongst rehabbing from her injury, and surgery, they have welcomed a little boy Archer to the world, and out of all the achievements of her life, Archer would be considered one of her greatest.
We discuss her journey to motherhood, through pregnancy and birth, how Gen is managing her life as a new mum, and her hopes for her future as an athlete while navigating her latest quest, parenthood.
This podcast episode is brought to you by fisiocrem Australia
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On Episode 24 of the RMA podcast we chat with Sydney Runner, Angela Caithness. Now at age 51, Angela shares with us how she has found her strength through running.
In this episode we discuss Angela's background. Born in 1970, Angela grew up on a farm just outside of Devonport Tasmania. She shared an Idyllic childhood in a beautiful location with her sister Caroline and her parents, with views of the snow capped mountains in one direction and over the paddocks in the other direction to the blue sea of Bass Strait.
We discuss the many trauma's that Angela has endured in her life. In January 1990 her dad got hit by a falling tree in a freak accident on their farm, rendering him a quadriplegic. We talk about how this impacted her family, and Angela as a teenager. Tragically, in August 2005 her sister was diagnosed with lung cancer (non smoker) which led to brain cancer. She passed away December 2007, 2 months after her 40th birthday. Her children were 7 and 5. Shortly after that, her father battled bad health and passed away in March 2009, and her mother in the December of the same year. So in 2009 Angela had lost her whole family before she had even turned 40.
Angela's running Story didn't start until just before she turned 48 when her kids were all grown up and she could finally do something for herself. Angela used to love to walk her dog at the local oval, but her dog passed away. After that Angela kept walking, and thought she would see if she could run from one light pole to the next. Then she challenged herself to run one or two laps of the oval. Then that Christmas her sister-in-law encouraged her to run around Lake Tuggeranong with her - about 7km's, so she trained herself for that distance and they ended up running 2 laps which was 14km's and her longest run. Then the rest was history. Angela was training and running events. She was training hard for the upcoming Canberra half when the world went into lockdown in March 2020. Lockdown for her meant that she had nothing to do but run. A local friend suggested she join strava and invited her to join RMA. It was here that she learnt so much about running and made an amazing friend, Claire McCleary. In 2021 she finally overcame injury and was feeling fit and strong, and because Angela had turned 50 she got sent a reminder to go for a mammogram as the Breastscreen van was nearby. During this routine scan she discovered she had DCIS - Ductal carcinoma in situ - early stage breast cancer. The following morning she was meeting the breast surgeon, breast doctor and breast care nurse. Angela made the decision to have a lumpectomy and radiation and she kept running when she could as it made her feel normal. She even did the Virtual Dubbo Stampede in between surgery and radiation- a PB OF 1:34:47!
Not only that, at the Canberra half marathon this year Angela came first in the 50-59 age group! and 1st Place female at the Western Sydney Marathon half marathon this June! She is showing other women that age and experiences are no barrier to your goals, and that you should chase them and live life to the full!
Angela has learnt that she is stronger than the traumas of her past, and that she has a bright future ahead full of possibility. All you need to do is believe.
You can follow Angela's journey on instagram at @angelacaithness
This episode is brought to you by fisiocrem Australia
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On Episode 53 you will meet a vibrant, energetic and fun person, Michelle Dziego. I am not sure that you would ever meet someone so community-minded and passionate about connecting people.
Michelle came to running later in life when she was introduced to parkrun, then RMA. Since then she has found a community of like-minded women to network with and support their running adventures.
As you will hear in this episode, running isn't always about times and pace, but more about the places, people and experiences that it connects us to; something that Michelle has discovered along the way.
Michelle lives in South Australia, and is an integral part of the RMA network there, and volunteers her time as a parkrun Event Ambassador, and an RMA Community Ambassador, regularly gathering the RMA tribe in SA each week for local runs, or volunteering at events around her state with other RMA ladies! You may meet her on the finish line, either dressed up in theme or with her bright friendly smile. She is also studying her Certificate 3 & 4 in Fitness so that she can help and encourage other women to be fit and active!
We chat to Michelle about what running was like for her when she started to now, and what it feels like to be at the back of the pack. You might just discover, that this is the place where most of the magic happens, and the fun begins.
You can follow on Michelle's running adventures on instagram at @mad_about_running or join her in the RMA South Australian network!
This podcast episode is brought to you by fisiocrem Australia
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Imagine you are out on a beautiful summers day for a run. You are about to embark on an open water swim, the sun is shining, and you are looking around at the breathtaking view around you thinking how lucky you are at this time in your life. Then your phone rings. It's your partner telling you that they have had a serious mountain bike accident on the trails. They then tell you that they can't feel anything... How would you feel? What would you do? Is this the moment that your lives change forever? This is exactly what happened to New Zealand running coach and mentor, Ali Pottinger on the 26th February 2022.
Ali Pottinger and Kerry Suter, both running coaches and founders of Squadrun, a running platform from New Zealand, have helped people achieve their running goals, especially in the trail and ultra space for years. Inseparable, the pair can be found bantering on the finish line of many races, climbing mountains together, or cheering on their runners, and now, side by side learning to live their new normal - a life challenged by disability.
On the morning of the 26th February 2022, Kerry suffered a catastrophic injury while biking in the trails surrounding their home in Rotorua, causing his neck to dislocate and break, impacting his spinal cord and leaving him a Tetraplegic. This resulted in the loss of the use of all four of Kerrys' limbs and torso and catapulted him, and Ali into an unknown life of disability.
So much is shared about someone when they suffer such a traumatic loss, such as what has happened to Kerry, but I wanted to sit down with Ali and get her perspective as a loved one, who has had to go through such a trauma, seeing her partner, once strong and athletic, now broken and scared, and what it feels like to live the reality that life would never be the same as it was before that summers day. Not only that, how she has navigated advocating for Kerry, now as his carer to get the most for him, so that they can live a rich, fulfilling and adventurous life once outside the confines of hospital and rehabilitation.
Not only this, I wanted Ali's perspective on how she has navigated this trauma, along with the excitement, and at times uncertainty, of the future ahead for their growing family, as Ali and Kerry share the journey to parenthood, expecting their first baby together; a pregnancy which they discovered only weeks before the accident.
As you will hear in this episode, this couple don't give up easily, and just like any good ultra, hard work and dedication can lead to some pretty amazing outcomes, and although the journey to the finish line is traversed along high mountains and low valleys, the community that we share the trail with is valued most of all. This community; the Global running community, has rallied along-side our friends Ali and Kerry to help them financially navigate their road ahead. You can also donate at the links below, to show your support.
Australia: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-kerry-ali-when-they-need-us-squadrun
New Zealand: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/kerry-and-alis-toughest-trail-run
You can find out more about Ali on Instagram at @ali.pottinger and check out more about Squadrun at squad.run.
This podcast was brought to you by fisiocrem Australia
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In Episode 51 we speak with RMA Sydney Community Ambassador and mum of three, Natasha Hammond!
We chat to Natasha about her journey to running, running through pregnancy, life as a busy mum, business owner and philanthropist, and how running has connected her with community. We discuss her humanitarian work, and how this has stemmed from the legacy that her father instilled in her from his humble beginnings in Australia as a refugee from Russia.
We discuss what running challenges were sparked in Natasha's life, and the joy that it brings when she accomplishes the goals that she sets for herself, such as her recent completion of the Larapinta Stage Race in Alice Springs.
Running brings so much joy and connection, and on this episode, we learn how this connection through not only the running community, but with discovering one's self brings passion to our lives.
You can find more information about helping the Ukrainian appeals as discussed in this episode at https://ukrainians.org.au/welcome/
This episode is brought to you by fisiocrem Australia.
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On Episode 50 of the RMA Podcast we have a very special guest, RMA Community Ambassador for Brisbane, Nicole Jukes.
Nicole is a single mum of three kids, Amity 10, Jack 8, and Max who is in Heaven. In 2010 Nicole was a first time parent, and then she wasn't. You see, Nicole and her then partner were preparing to be parents of their first baby. It was then at her 20 week scan they were told that there was something wrong with their little son's heart. It was too small for a diagnosis at that point, so they had to wait a further 6 weeks to have a better look, and after an agonising wait, at 26 weeks whilst still in the womb their little baby Max was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. This is a condition where the left side of the heart is grossly undergrown and cannot pump blood correctly. It is a fatal diagnosis.
They were given three choices that day. They could terminate their son, however they would need a special court order due to the term of their pregnancy. They could choose to carry him full term and when Max was born they could take an emergency helicopter to Melbourne and Max would have three open heart surgeries in the first year of his life, however this would only be enough to keep him palliative, and after that he would need a heart transplant that they were told would likely never come. The third option was to let Max continue to grow in Nicole's belly until he was ready to be born and he could live out his natural life with no interventions, and spend the time they could with him, possibly a few weeks. To make this choice as a parent, of how your child will die is something no one would ever wish on anyone, but that was the choice they were making, and whatever option they chose would mean they would be saying goodbye to Max.
They chose to let Max continue to grow inside Nicole, knowing that while he was in utero, he was still with them. As you can imagine, enduring a pregnancy when you know the child inside you is inevitably going to die is something that would be unimaginable. People would ask Nicole about her unborn baby, and she would have to apologise to them and explain to them that when he is born, he is going to die.
Max decided to meet them at 33 weeks and was a natural birth. They didn't get to hold him as he was taken away immediately and put on life-support in the neonatal ICU. On day two he was taken off life support, and it was then that Nicole and her partner got to hold Max as he took his final breaths.
When Nicole left the hospital without her baby, she wanted to scream to every single person she passed, "Do you know what just happened to me? Do you know my baby died?!".
You never really recover from a loss so great, but what Nicole did is something even greater. At one point she decided to make a choice. She could define herself as the woman who lost her child, or she could get up. She chose to get up. She decided it would be selfish of her to not go out and live her best life, because Max didn't get the chance to.
Since then, and after 2015 when Nicole's sister coaxed her into her first 5k at parkrun, Nicole has run countless kilometres in living out her why. Her why has become ultra running, particularly the 'backyard ultra format', and she believes the whole reason she chose that is because you have to 'get up'. You need to get up out of the chair every hour and start the next lap. If you choose not to you are out. She chooses to endure the suffering and the pain because Max gave her the gift of unbreakability. She suffered through the worst pain imaginable and she didn't break. She wants to know "if that didn't break her, then what will?". How far can she go until she breaks?
Nicole has had great success as an ultra runner, having recently broken the female record at the Dead Cow Gully in 2022 of 201kms and 30 laps! It is her passion and purpose to share her love of this ultra format with those that will listen, while supporting and encouraging women into the ultra running space! Nicole manages her time well, while being a full time mum, she also works full time as a paralegal and is almost finished her law degree! She certainly knows how to juggle all the balls and get results! We are just thrilled to have her share her story, and we know there is so much more to come for Nicole!
You can follow her on instagram at @nicolejukes or over in our RMA community page!
This episode is brought to you by fisiocrem Australia
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