Ultramarathon: Junior champ to run Tarawera

World junior skyrunning champion Lucy Bartholomew is heading to Rotorua to take part in the Tarawera Trail Marathon and 50km event. Photo / Supplied

Following in the footsteps of her father and paving her own victorious pathway, Melbourne-based junior world skyrunning champion Lucy Bartholomew is taking part in the Tarawera Trail Marathon and 50km event in Rotorua this November.

Bartholomew's ultramarathon and skyrunning career all began when she was crewing for her father's ultramarathon, at the age of 15.

Not knowing how to get from checkpoint to checkpoint, Bartholomew decided to run and was automatically hooked.

"It was a real life-changing day for me. I could have caught the bus, but thankfully I decided to run," Bartholomew, now 19, explained.

"After that I decided to enter the Surf Coast Century 100km and because I was only 16, I had to race alongside my dad the entire time. We finished in 12 hours 32 minutes and I felt great. I really found a love for the long stuff there.

"The following year I entered the Big Red Run, a 250km race across five days. Dad didn't talk to me for months because he didn't approve, but I finished second overall.

"I came back from the Big Red Run and quickly decided to run Surf Coast Century 100 again and this time I was allowed to run solo.

"I was the second female to cross the finish line with a time of 9h 36m - that's where I got noticed."

After proving her outstanding ability in ultramarathon running, Bartholomew took to the mountains and it was there that she discovered her real passion for longer hours but shorter distances.

"My biggest achievement so far would be at the Skyrunning World Championships, held in Chamonix, France as part of the Mont Blanc Marathon. It was here that I was titled the Junior World Champion."

Skyrunning is an extreme sport of mountain running above 2000m. In her four years of competitive running, Bartholomew has travelled around the world and said it's one of the most exciting aspects of competing.

"I ran the Tarawera Ultramarathon in Rotorua in 2014 (although it was shortened because of a cyclone) and I'm super keen to get back over to New Zealand and see it again. I decided to extend my running season to include the Tarawera Trail 50km as it's such a beautiful place to visit - I see it as a great opportunity to run some beautiful trails."

The Tarawera Trail Marathon and 50km event are being held on November 14 in Rotorua.