Nurse smashes Te Araroa goals
Brooke Thomas has spent the first month of the year smashing her goals.
On Friday night, the Queenstown nurse set a record as the fastest woman to run the Te Araroa trail – running from Cape Reinga to Bluff, in a time of 57 days and 10 hours.
She also surpassed her goal of raising $10,000 for Heart Kids with more than $24,000 donated to the charity, which supports families with children who have heart conditions.
It was the fundraising that kept her going through the low periods during the traverse, she said.
‘‘We were getting donations with notes attached from parents who were telling us about their story, and I would read the comments, and they would keep me going,’’ Thomas said.
‘‘Sometimes I just needed a reminder of why I was there.’’
Thomas began her journey in November, and six pairs of running shoes later, she reached Bluff.
On Sunday, she said she had some ‘‘pretty fat ankles’’ but other than that, she was in pretty good shape.
‘‘I can’t believe how well the body has stood up to it all, but I guess it just gets used to doing what it is doing.’’
The run had been a mind game to keep going, she said.
‘‘You quickly forget how hard something is. There were times why I wondered why I was putting myself through this, especially at Christmas when everyone was relaxing and eating and drinking, so you have to remember that it’s a privilege to be able to do this.
‘‘My little saying was ‘finding the joy’,’’ she said.
And the joy came on deserted pristine Northland beaches, which she often shared with no-one else, or at the peaks of the Richmond Ranges, rewarded with a beautiful sunrise after a hard climb.
‘‘Those moments were just epic, and it’s those that keep you going.
‘‘It’s not an easy running track. There are times when you’re right out in the challenging high country and its very remote and you spend a lot of time on your own.’’
There were also days she would rather forget.
Thomas was hospitalised in the North Island after becoming sick, but one of her biggest challenges was further south.
After spending a night alone at Arthur’s Pass, she had to make two river crossings the next morning.
It was pouring with rain, and the rivers were up and looking a bit frightening, she said.
There was no-one around to talk to about making the crossings, so she had to trust her instinct. She managed to get across and carried on, which in hindsight also made the day one of the most rewarding.
Further south still, walking in the Mackenzie country around Tekapo and Twizel reminded her of her childhood holidays, and at times she was joined by colleagues from Queenstown Hospital, where she works.
‘‘Some of the doctors came and joined me on sections and the team at work were really supportive.
‘‘My boss messaged me to say they had tears in their eyes watching me finish on Friday night.’’
Thomas was consistently ticking over an average of 60 kilometres per
day on the 3000km track. Some days she reached 70km, while on others she only managed 50km.
On some sections of the trail she also had to carry her own gear.
After a few days off this week, Thomas will be back at work on Saturday.
She says there are no events pencilled in on her running calendar.
‘‘I’ve never been a competitive runner before. I just run for fun.
‘‘I might do some serious training and see if I can go faster.’’
Lucy Clarke had previously held the woman’s record for the trail with a time of 66 days, 7 hours and 8 minutes.
While Thomas beat that, she won’t be trying to beat her time running the length of the country any time soon.
‘‘I don’t feel the need to do it again. I’m just so grateful I got to do it in the first place.
‘‘It’s a big undertaking to pull it off, physically, mentally, and to have the support network around you to do it in the first place.’’
‘‘I don’t feel the need to do it again. I’m just so grateful I got to do it in the first place.’’ Brooke Thomas