WITH races across the Tasman postponed or cancelled throughout the past two years, so many runners have spent a majority of those 24 months itching and scratching to get their trail shoes back onto dirt. Thankfully things have started to slowly open back up again in the hopes of eventually putting the recent pandemic behind us. In the meantime, a number of runners got creative when it came to wanting to hit the trails during lockdowns or restrictions, and one Sydney-based woman did exactly that.
Charity runs are generally known to be held on road and offer distances to non-runners that are attainable as a challenge, however UK-born Susie Campbell turned her dream of running an ultra into a reality despite the difficulties of 2020 and 2021, and put it to good use by raising money for charity.
Based out of Sydney, Susie had been training for her first ultra race which was meant to take place in 2020 – but with plans falling apart, she was left feeling deflated. Not wanting to stay feeling that way, she put together a 50km charity run from her home in Killarney Heights on the Northern Beaches and through the Garigal National Park where she hit the Magazine Trail, Bates Creek, Cook St Trail and Natural Bridge Track.
She’s hoping to do it all again in 2022, but first I had a chat with Susie to find out who she is, why she loves the trails so much, and what motivated her to raise almost $2000 funds for a charity close to her heart.
You’re a Sydney-based trail runner, so for all of our readers outside of Sydney, tell us about who you are, how long you've been trail running for, and what the catalyst was for starting running.
Originally from the UK, I moved to Australia in 2013 with my husband and two boys. Although I had always loved sport, starting out as a PE teacher then joining the Royal Navy and playing basketball at a national level and rugby representing the Navy, sport had always played a big part in my life. I had always been a good distance runner but being
