KEY POINTS:
Running champion Lorraine Moller will be on hand to dish out the prizes for the elite women at the Auckland Marathon.
Moller, who started running in the 1970s, said handing out the awards to the women is special.
"Back in my day women didn't run marathons. You were
a real maverick if you were a woman running marathons," Moller said.
She said the only other women on the streets dressed in so little were prostitutes and there was no Olympic marathon event for women.
"I feel like I've been part of a movement. My reward today is to see these women do so well in a marathon and that it is appreciated in the public eye," Moller said.
Moller's career reads like a fairy tale.
She started her first marathon, intending to finish half-way through but finding herself in the lead at the half-way point, she decided to keep running.
Moller ended up winning the event and finishing with a world qualifying time.
That was just the start of her career, she went on to win the next nine of her 10 marathons, a world record.
Moller won the Boston marathon in 1984 and the Avon World Marathon Championship and the Osaka International three times each.
She won two bronze medals at the Brisbane Commonwealth Games for the over 1500m and 3000m in 1982. She also won a silver medal in the marathon at Edinburgh in 1986 and a bronze at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
Moller, who now lives in the US, has some advice for those lining up at their first starting line.
"The biggest thing for first time marathoners is not to get caught up in time goals. It's very important, for your first one, to have the most pleasant experience as possible."
She said runners should fill up the tank with healthy food and plenty of water in the days leading up to the race.
And save any heroics for the finish line, Moller said.
It will be nice for the runners if the weather is wet and cool but be sure to grease the feet up to avoid blisters and watch out for rubbing seams, she said.
Moller said the runner Jess Ruthe is a strong contender to take out the women's category.
Ruthe stayed at Moller's house while competing at the Chicago Marathon that left one man dead of a heart condition and 300 needing medical treatment as temperatures soared and water ran out.
The marathon was cancelled part way through the race.
"Jess did the smart thing and saved herself for another day. I'm really interested to see how she runs and of course I'll be cheering her on."
Moller is in the country promoting her book On the Wings of Mercury.
