DESERT RUN

CARDIO COACH: Michelle Rennie with her crew of keen Cardio Coach clients about to tackle the Kaiti Hill steps. Picture supplied

This trip has been eight months in the planning but Michelle says it has come around quickly.

On Monday she and husband Pete will embark on a journey to the other side of the world via Dubai before heading to Amman, Jordan and on to the Petra Desert.

The Middle East country share borders with Syria, Saudi Arabia, the Red Sea, Palestine, Israel and Iraq.

Michelle grew up on a farm near Te Karaka and went to Gisborne Girls' High School.

At 16 she moved to the Waikato to pursue her sports — triathlon and road cycling — and studied towards a degree in Sport and Exercise Science at WINTEC.

As a junior elite athlete she competed at the World Triathlon Championships in Mexico and in Queenstown.

A highlight of her athletic career was competing in road cycling at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004 and at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006.

She was based in Europe with the New Zealand team in 2004, 2005 and again in 2007 and spent 2006 in the US where she competed for a trade team.

“These days I just do a little bit of everything to keep fit but nothing too specific,” Michelle says. She is 38.

“I actually haven't done a lot of marathons but I've done a lot of triathlons, road cycling and multi-sport events.

“Typically, I don't really like running on the road and prefer trail running, which is why the desert run appealed to me.”

In 2019 she did the Tarawera ultra marathon — a 50km off-road race — but the trail run didn't do her any favours. She sustained a labral hip tear, damaging the soft tissue that covers the hip socket and had surgery for it in 2020.

Starting in the ancient cave city of Petra, the race will lead runners past incredible tombs, mountainside carvings, and caves before venturing in to the arid, lunar-like landscapes of the Jordanian desert.

It is going to be hot (40 degrees) and dry. Fortunately she knows how to stay hydrated in such extreme conditions after many years of competing in northern hemisphere summers.

Husband Pete is a keen hunter and does a lot of tramping but he hasn't done any specialised training for the marathon.

“He's probably going to suffer a little bit, but he's always up for a challenge,” Michelle says.

Their children — Jakob, 10 and Mason, 8 — are used to their parents heading off on adventures and will stay at home with their grandmother while mum and dad are away.

After completing the marathon the couple are looking forward to doing some sightseeing and have a few excursions lined up with caving in Petra and floating in the Dead Sea on the itinerary.

The marathon is organised by Albatros Adventure Marathons, which provides adventures in bucket-list destinations from the game parks of South Africa to the temples of Bagan.

Visiting the Great Wall of China has always been on Michelle's own bucket list and also happens to be one of the locations offered by Albatros Adventure Marathons.

“It was really funny how it happened, but I remember saying to my husband ‘we need to do the Great Wall of China marathon before we get too old'.

“A week after I'd said that I got a phone call from Albatros Adventure Marathons wanting me to help them bring an adventure marathon here to Gisborne.”

Michelle has been helping the company plan the First Light Marathon and is working on designing the course.

It is going to start and finish at the outdoor theatre at Midway Beach and go along the boardwalk and over Titirangi.

“Hopefully the sun will be rising as the runners crest the hill,” Michelle says.

From there it tracks, over the Sponge Bay hills to Wainui Beach and continues across farmland behind Makorori. It will then cross over into Riverside Road and the back of the Te Kuri Farm walkway and come back into town along the river path.

“The course is going to be challenging with epic views — it will showcase Tairāwhiti and really put the region on the map.”

The First Light Marathon will take place in January 2023 and is open to locals who can get a resident-only entry.

“We're hoping it will attract people from right across New Zealand.”

Part of the international package will include excursions featuring surfing lessons, stingray feeding, a hike up Mt Hikurangi and an introduction to Maori culture including powhiri and hangi.

When she is not busy planning adventure marathons Michelle runs her own cardio coach business. She started it eight years ago and offers group fitness and one-on-one personal training. She is contracted by Gisborne Harriers to organise local trail runs on Sundays where they do scenic runs in iconic locations.

The Covid lockdowns of the last two years meant the fitness pro had to take her business online.

This resulted in virtual lockdown workouts and at one stage she was working with about 60 clients at once.

“It was so much fun — we had lots of families doing workouts and crazy games and challenges. And because I had so much time on my hands, I could commit a lot of time to it. It was great for everyone and helped us overcome the isolation”

Michelle also collaborates with the Cancer Society to provide a wellness programme called Wahine Toa which works with cancer patients.

A 10-week programme which incorporates physical activity, meditation and restorative yoga, it brings together women going through a difficult time.

“They are all at different stages of their cancer journey and the support and strength they get from each other is just amazing.”

With her older sister Ana battling stage 4 melanoma, Michelle can relate to their experience.

Ana has worked as a cancer nurse in Gisborne and is undergoing treatment in Sydney as part of a 10-week clinical trial. The separation has been hard on her family with her husband and two children staying in Gisborne.

Michelle said until two weeks ago the trip to Jordan was up in the air as it depended on Ana's latest scan results.

“Thankfully they were great, so we can now look forward to our holiday.”

Michelle is planning to spend time with her sister on her way back to New Zealand.

The timing of everything, especially her introduction to Albatros Adventure Marathons sounds like it was meant to be.

“I'm excited to be travelling again and exploring new places.

“This wouldn't have ever been on my radar, unless it happened like it happened.”