Resident Melanie Eager says she was not the sportiest at school.
However, her hard work and determination to get fitter as she got older drove her to have a go at an ultramarathon – a 50 kilometre run.
She recently completed the Australia Day ultramarathon on January 24 in Australind.
It was the first year the ultramarathon was run in Australind, with participants also given the opportunity to run 100km.
Eager had completed a marathon in October last year, so she was no stranger to the long distance running, but was still unsure how her body would react, going that extra 8km.
The ultramarathon started at 3am, meaning Eager had to get up at midnight and travel to Australind for the start of the race.
She described running in the middle of the night as calming and she was not scared and only saw a couple of kangaroos.
“The thing that was scary was when I looked at my watch and it went over 42km,” she said. “I didn’t know how my body would react, I just wanted to finish in one piece.
“It was a 12.5 km loop so I had my running coach at one end and my husband at the other end and there was always somebody I could see for encouragement.
“Once you have hit 42 you feel you can hit 50.”
Eager completed the event in five hours and 31 minutes.
She originally got into running to gain fitness for dragon boat racing.
Eager did her first 5km event five years ago, and she has continued on ever since.
The 38-year-old said as she got older, she wanted to look after her body more.
“I could see a lot of friends around me starting to do events and triathlons and I was frustrated not being able to do something,” she said.
“I have always been one of those people that have struggled with my fitness. “I was not sporty at school. “I wouldn’t go to a gym class because I was too embarrassed to go.”
Eager has now started a food and wellness coaching business called ‘Eager for Life.
She said she wanted to use her passion for food and wellness to help others if they are struggling to get healthy or lose weigh.
“My passion is people’s health and wellness,” she said. “I am a qualified nutritionist. “I can help people with their daily food intake.
“As I am getting older I want to look after myself more.”
If you are interested in food and wellness coaching, contact Eager on 0423 512 880.
