Zoe Hobbs has returned home fresh off a personal best and Oceania 100m record of 10.94s at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Meeting. Photo / Photosport
Zoe Hobbs knows her time on the ground is limited.
Whether she’s flying along a 100m track, smashing national records or squeezing in a fleeting visit home, the 27-year-old is determined to make every moment spent on the ground count.
It’s the reality she signed up for – and one she’s learned to navigate with precision – in pursuit of her dream to become a world-class sprinter.
This month, fresh off a personal best (PB) and Oceania 100m record of 10.94s at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Meeting, followed by a podium finish at the Diamond League in Monaco, Hobbs (Ngāruahine iwi) returned to Auckland from her training base in Leuven, Belgium.
Her visit home has been brief – just 17 days – before she jets off again to continue her campaign to qualify for the World Championship finals.
The tight turnaround is nothing new for Hobbs. She’s mastered the art of prioritising her time, ensuring every commitment is purposeful.
In her first trip home since early May, Hobbs spoke to the Herald about how she balances the demands of elite sport with the moments that matter most.
Hobbs said being in her own space is what she looks forward to most when returning home.
“Living out of a suitcase for so long, it starts to get a little bit old.
“There’s only so much you can take and pack with you.”
She appreciates most those things often taken for granted – her own bed, wardrobe, car and kitchen.
“I’ve heard a lot of people say that they get more jet lag when they come home. But I actually find it the opposite, just because I can settle into a solid routine and everything here is so easy, it’s all familiar.
“I don’t have to think about anything; everything’s just autopilot.
“It’s all just easy and familiar and comfortable.”
Living on Auckland’s North Shore, Hobbs always takes a visit to her favourite Birkenhead eatery, Duo, and other dinner spots.
However, having spent most of her time abroad in Airbnbs in Europe, she’s not opposed to the more humble meal option.
“When you’re away from home for so long, you do look forward to having a home-cooked meal, having a kitchen available to be able to do that.”
Hobbs gets overwhelmed if she pre-schedules too many commitments, but she ensures to prioritise catch-ups with her family and partner.
“I’ve not tried not to overwhelm myself with fitting in too much while I’m home because there’s so many people and so many things that I would like to do.
“But only 17 days on the ground, there’s only so much time.”
One catch-up she did schedule this time around was, of course, with her partner, Stewart Dodson, who is a professional sailor on the Swiss SailGP team.
Like Hobbs, Dodson travels a lot for his job. It meant their recent reunion back in Aotearoa was even more fleeting than Hobbs’ entire trip home.
Days after Hobbs returned home earlier this month, Dodson flew to Portsmouth for the Great Britain SailGP race. He’s scheduled to return to Auckland just a day before she jets off again.
Hobbs said when the pair are at home, they enjoy “sit-ins at night” and “being in their own space”.
“I also caught up with mum and dad this weekend. They made a trip up [from New Plymouth] to spend some time.”
Hobbs revealed the main reason she booked a flight home – even if only for a short time – was to refine her technique.
She explained that it’s a crucial part of the training as a top sprinter.
“We’re getting into the crunch time now, so there’s not too much relaxing.
Hobbs said, given that her goal is to qualify for the final at the World Champs in Tokyo in September, it’s important she optimises her time at home to build momentum.
“Although I’ve done a PB and run the fastest I’ve ever run, I need to be able to do it in September.
“If I were to be away from home for 16 weeks, then I would start to feel out of touch.”
Returning home means Hobbs can reconvene with her coaches, refreshing the cues and mental images that she uses to improve technique and efficiency during racing.
“I’ve been seeing them almost every day since being home, and it’s been great to have them reset some things.
“We’re not trying to change too much now because we’re getting into that pointy end of the season. We’re just brushing up on some of the stuff that we’ve already worked on.
“We’ve just been doing a bit of a reloading phase, getting in as much work as we can so that once I go back over to Europe, I can button off and then really take it in the lead up to the World Championships.”
While the purpose of her trip home was to reset physically and mentally, she also jammed in commercial and media opportunities with clients and press.
One of these included attending a cocktail evening at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, counting down a year out from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Hobbs is awaiting the qualifying policy for what would be her second time at the pinnacle event.
“It’s always been a dream come true for me growing up, [the Commonwealth Games], and the Olympics.”
For now, however, Hobbs remains firmly grounded when she can, keeping her eyes on the next challenge ahead.
“Obviously, World Champs being in September, that’s pretty much where all my focus is leading into right now.”
Bonnie Jansen is a multimedia journalist in the NZME sports team. She was named New Zealand’s Best Up and Coming journalist in 2025. She’s a football commentator and co-host of the Football Fever podcast and was part of the Te Rito cadetship scheme before becoming a fulltime journalist.