23/02/2026
➡️ If you want to experience a great, tough and scenic marathon- the Queenstown Marathon, NZ is a must!
2️⃣ Take 2 - This photo - was my second attempt of the Queenstown Marathon as my first attempt- 2 years prior, I made a mistake that I really learnt from.
🛑 The mistake I made the first time was relying on drink stations to supply my electrolytes and not bringing enough food with me to replenish my glycogen stores. I was literally running on empty.
🤦♀️ What happened in my first attempt - I felt disorientated 30km’s in, I felt fatigued, like I was going to faint. I don’t know how I got to the paramedic, but I did and was driven to hospital, and put on drip. I was severely dehydrated.
🤣 The funny side to this situation was I emailed the organisers after I got back to Sydney and asked for a 21km medal as I thought I should at least get that reward as I did run 30km. And no this request was not granted, which made me more determined to complete the marathon in another 2 years.
📝📝 What I learnt about this experience - I had to bring electrolytes with me and some food, so I filled up my back back with electrolytes, not just water. I brought apricot delights with coconut with me - a few to have on the way. This helped a lot! And I made sure I had plenty of water leading up to the event and a big carbohydrate meal the night before, and this all helped in finishing my second attempt of the marathon in 6hrs. I was happy with that!
💦💦Also we are spoilt in Sydney with our drink stations - this wasn’t the case in NZ - you need to be more prepared and bring water, electrolytes, food etc with you.
🏃♀️🏃 My training was sufficient, I am an avid runner, and run competitively in many short and long distances, however my fluid and nutrition was not up to scratch on the day of my 1st attempt of the marathon.
😊 As an athlete, who is very competitive, my mission was to get that 42km finisher medal - but I had to reflect and learn from my previous mistakes 🙌🙌 🎖️🎖️🎖️. So going back to revisit the scene and finish in 6 hours was a massive accomplishment for me!
Please share your marathon challenges below ⬇️