"My mind got the better of me. Now I know I have the power to change my thoughts, the ability to get rid of the negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. I look back at that person and I don't know who it was."
Allan's iron-clad mental fortitude began to emerge. In 2010 she walked the Pukekohe half marathon.
Six weeks later she walked the Great Lake Solo 100km, describing it as "a ridiculous thing to do on the training I had done and my body certainly paid the price".
"It was the biggest thing I had ever done and though I didn't know it at the time, I was hooked."
Allan has since notched up an incredible string of achievements including twice representing New Zealand at the World 24-hour Track Championships. She ran 500km without sleep to raise funds for the Spinal Trust; completed the Spartathlon 250km Ultra and was the first woman to run a Hillary Trail Double.
Allan will line up for Tor des Geants in September - a brutal 150-hour, 330km non-stop race through the Italian Alps with 24,000 metres of vertical ascent - equivalent to scaling Everest three times. She is pragmatic about the dangers inherent in extreme events.
"A Japanese competitor fell and died on one of the steep rocky sections. I don't want to be hallucinating on those sections so my plan is to stop and sleep for 40 minutes before the big climbs."
There are lodge-style "refuges" situated every 50km along the route where participants can stop and rest, refuel and sleep if they need to before continuing along the route.
It is the mental challenge that entices Allan to repeatedly push her tiny frame to perform the impossible.
"I like mental challenge. I don't particularly enjoy running!" she laughs. "I cross the finish line and there is that wonder - wow, I really did that.
"At school I felt a complete failure; these events are something I can do."
Kiwi running legend Malcolm Law has tremendous respect for Allan.
"Kim is a true inspiration. I wish I had even half her mental toughness, not to mention her incredible endurance. But more than anything I respect her incredible humility."
Friend Nicola McCloy agrees.
"She's not interested in adulation or admiration. She just wants to see how far she can push herself.
"She has humility and humour in equal parts. So much so, that when we organised a raffle to raise funds for Tor des Geants, we were scared to tell her what we'd done because we knew she'd tell us off."
Allan's work as a hotel receptionist and housecleaner barely covers living expenses for her family. She often takes on additional work, fitting in a bare minimum of training around various jobs.
For Tor des Geants, Allan will borrow much of the compulsory gear required, and has started a Givealittle fundraising page. For every $100 donated she will give three hours of her time to Riding for the Disabled, a cause close to her heart.
"It's my choice to put myself under the stress of having to train and raise the money. I paid my own way to the World 24-hour Championships where I represented New Zealand both times and although I hate asking for help, I realise I have to if I am going to make this dream come true."
Allan feels it is important for parents to maintain interests beyond their children, and she encourages parents to create their own dreams.
"Other parents - single mums - tell me they wish they could do what I do. If you have time to sit down and watch TV for half an hour, then you have time to go for a walk. I think mothers in particular have to learn to move on from their kids when their kids move on. Life shouldn't end just because your kids have gone!"
Tor des Geants
• What: 330km non-stop off-road race
• When: September 7-14
• Where: Aosta Valley, Italy
Kim Allan has notched up an incredible string of achievements, including running 500km without sleep to raise funds for the Spinal Trust. Photo / Greg Bowker
