THE idea of running for 24 hours straight is certainly not for everyone, but Mount Gambier’s Kathy Thurlings faced the challenge head on when she competed at the annual Adelaide 24 hour marathon event on the weekend.
Not only did she win the 60-64 age group, but she finished fifth in the women’s category and an impressive 11th overall out of 43 competitors.
Thurlings completed 62 laps of the 2.2km North Adelaide circuit to achieve a final distance of 137km over the 24-hour period.
Throw into the equation a lingering hamstring issue and her effort is all the more inspiring.
Thurlings, who recently celebrated her 60th birthday, was rightly proud of her achievement and said she was surprised by her result.
“I am absolutely stoked – I could not believe it actually,” she said.
The Adelaide 24 hour was something Thurlings heard about a couple of years ago, but decided to give it a go this year as her busy running calendar had an opening for the month of July.
“It is something different,” she said.
“Instead of doing a set distance you go out there and run for 24 hours and see what you can do.
“I had never done an event like that before.”
Having competed in marathons, half marathons and trail events in the past, the Adelaide 24-hour seemed suitable to mix things up a bit.
Under the guidance of her trainer, Thurlings put in many hours on the track to prepare for the event, despite her initial wish to “wing it”.
“I actually got permission to use the trotting track out at the showgrounds, which was absolutely perfect,” she said.
“I got really good at running around in circles, which is kind of what you have to do when you are doing a 24-hour loop course.”
Thurlings ran into a problem early on, as a niggling injury flared up within the first five laps.
“I had a few issues with an ongoing hamstring problem – that decided to play up probably less than 10km in,” she said.
“It was okay if a did a few walking stints, but the walking became more and the running became less as it went on.
“By the time I had done about 80km I was back to just walking as fast as I could.”
Despite that obstacle, Thurlings kept her head down and did not give up, slowly working her way up the field.
“My husband Harry, who was crewing for me, said during the night I was 20th,” Thurlings said.
“I thought ‘wow, 20, that is great’.
“A couple of hours later he said I was 16th and then I ended up 11th.
“I still cannot believe it.”
She said there was some tough competition at the event, with the top runners achieving some impressive distances.
“I felt like I was unworthy to be in the same event as them,” she said.
However, Thurlings’ results say otherwise and she was only 7km away from a top 10 finish.
Late to the running game, Thurlings started when she was 54 to “lose a bit of weight and get fitter”.
“Then I started competing in events when I was 55,” she said.
“I wish I started a lot sooner, but better late than never.”
She loves the sport and the “amazing people” she has met through her passion and said she feels the best she has in 20 years.
“I do not feel 60, I feel more like 40,” she said.
“I am probably fitter and healthier than I was when I was 40.”
Next on the agenda is a 60km marathon in the Grampians at the end of August, while Thurlings will attempt her first 100-mile event in New Zealand next February.
“I cannot wait, it will be so much fun,” she said.
