I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, but after I’ve run 100 miles, there are only a few things on the list of things my legs can handle. The list is not long:
Shuffle to the fridge.
Shuffle to the couch.
Shuffle to the bathroom.
Shuffle back to the fridge.
You’ll notice that nowhere on my list is stilt walking. But it’s on Dawn Tuffery’s.
New Zealand ultra runner Dawn Tuffery leads a most interesting life. Not only is she a kick-arse trail runner, she excels on the track, too. A member of the Hamilton City Hawks running club, Dawn was the New Zealand 100km champion in 2010, 2014 and 2016. Then, in 2017, she won the New Zealand 24-Hour Championship outright, covering 202.705km. In 2018, Dawn ran for New Zealand at the Asia-Oceania 24-Hour Championships in Taipei. And this year, she was third female at the Tarawera
Ultramarathon 100 miler in 22 hours and 28 minutes. Incredibly, she backed this up just a couple of months later with another third placing – this time, at the 71km Coastal Ultra in the Catlins, in the rugged south-eastern corner of NZ’s South Island.
Somehow, Dawn also manages to parent, stilt walk at events, work as a video producer, write, and create cool cartoons. This incredibly humble athlete took time out to chat with me about all things running, parenting and gypsy life!
THANKS FOR TALKING TO ME TODAY, DAWN! YOU’RE WELL KNOWN IN NZ FOR YOUR AMAZING RUNNING ACHIEVEMENTS, BUT OUR AUSSIE READERS MAY NOT BE AS FAMILIAR WITH YOU. WHERE ARE YOU BASED?
I’m based in Hamilton, Kirikiriroa, which is right in the middle of the North Island of New Zealand. It has the faint praise of being somewhere that allows you to go lots of other places. You can go out to Raglan or Pirongia, or up to Auckland, over to Waihi, or down
