North Canterbury News: January 27, 2022

NEWS
The North Canterbury News, January 27, 2022
Food on the mind after record breaking run
By SHELLEYTOPP
On the last leg of her recordbreaking
Ultimate Challenge
Run NZ, Kaiapoi endurance
athlete Emma Timmis picked
up the pace to the finish line.
Even though every part of her
body was sore, after running
100km for 20 days, and she had
huge blisters on the little toe
and ball of her right foot, the
looming finish line proved a
powerful incentive.
She ran 133km that day
because ‘‘I just wanted to stop.’’
Then, after crossing the
finish line she wanted food.
After being restricted to a
carefully planned caloriedense
diet, including cheese,
peanut butter, yoghurt, nuts,
seeds and high energy drinks,
during her run, Emma had a
huge appetite for more
substantial meals of regular
food.
‘‘I wanted to eat constantly,’’
she says.
Emma, who was born in
England, began the 2100km run
at Cape Reinga on December 18
and finished at Bluff’s Stirling
Point at around 11pm on
January 7.
Her goal was to complete the
run in 21 days, set anew world
record and raise funds for two
mental health charities
Youthline in New Zealand and
Young Minds in the United
Kingdom.
It was an ambitious goal, but
she smashed it, running the
2100km in 20 days, 17 hours and
17 minutes, beating the
previous record of 35 days and
27 minutes, set by Welsh woman
Menna Evans in 2020.
In 2014 Emma ran across
Africa completing 3974km from
Namibia to Mozambique in 89
days, but says the New Zealand
challenge was tougher.
‘‘The African race was amuch
longer race, but Iwas only
running 50 kilometres aday,’’
she says.
The New Zealand run was
‘‘way more intense’’ because
the route on State Highway 1
had busy traffic and constant
noise.
Since finishing her recordbreaking
New Zealand run,
Emma’s focus has been rest.
She plans to eventually write
achildren’s book about the
challenge and is working to
increase the awareness of her
run to raise more money for
Youthline and Young Minds
UK.
So far $24,000 has been raised
for Youthline and $NZ6000 for
Young Minds UK.
Another priority is to prepare
the documentation required by
the Guinness Book of Records to
authenticate her world record.
Emma spent between 12 and
14 hours running daily during
the challenge and was
supported by many Kiwis along
the route, who were following
her progress.
She went through five pairs of
running shoes and she had to
wear alarger shoe size for the
South Island section because
15
Recovery mode ... Kaiapoi endurance athlete Emma Timmis, who is also an author and artist, is
recuperating at home after breaking the world record for running the length of New Zealand earlier this
month.
PHOTO: SHELLEY TOPP
her feet were badly swollen.
She also had asupport team,
including her partner Tristan
Phipps, travelling in a
campervan, with her for the
run.
‘‘I couldn’t have done the run
without my sponsors and
support crew. They did
everything for me,’’ Emma says.
Tristan was cycling with
Emma during her run, but on
Christmas Day he was badly
injured after being knocked off
his bicycle by amotor vehicle.
He is still recovering from his
injuries in what was alow point
of the run. The high points were
finishing the run, raising funds
for the charities and receiving
support along the way.