An 18-year-old champion runner who is currently backpacking across New Zealand has spoken about the highlights so far of her three-month journey Down Under.
Hannah Viner, from Belsize Park, embarked on the 12,000-mile trip across the world to compete in international competitive races amongst the impressive backdrop of the New Zealand landscape.
Speaking from Nelson, a city in the north of South Island, the Highgate Harriers competitor told Islington Now:
“For almost as long as I remember I’ve wanted to go to New Zealand. I think it was the draw of the outdoorsy lifestyle, beautiful scenery and the fact that it’s almost as far away from home as possible.
“I’ve really enjoyed running in races here. I find it’s a great way to meet local people and I always find runners are the friendliest.
“I’ve been using my travels as an opportunity to experience what it’s like to train a bit harder and more regimentally. I’m following a training plan for the first time, doing one tempo-type session a week and then running on three other days. But I make sure Friday is always my rest day.”
Viner flew to Australia at the end of January, and landed in New Zealand on 11 February. On 8 March, she left her Kiwi competition training behind when she broke the all-time female record for a race around the Hutt Valley, near Wellington. She won $200 after completing the 10km race with a finish time of 37:40 – almost four minutes faster than the nearest female competitor.
“Setting the course record in the Hutt Valley run was pretty amazing, especially since it has been going for 24 years,” she said. “It was cool that there was prize money as it meant I could forget about budgeting and treat myself for a change!”
Hannah Viner at the Hutt Valley race with Grant MacLean, a former Highgate Harriers runner who now regularly competes in New Zealand
But for the Highgate Harrier, who is currently on a gap year, the trip has been as much about making memories away from the track as on it. “It’s an amazing country and I’ve met lots of brilliant people and had a fair few exciting experiences,” she said.
“Once when I ended up in a campsite outside a town called Palmerston North there wasn’t much there, and I didn’t have a sleeping mat, so I ended up spending the night on the ground using my copy of Jack Kerouac’s On The Road as a pillow.
“Also, I went for a very early morning run with a group of runners in Wellington and they took me up to the top of Mount Victoria which overlooks the city and we watched the sunrise over Wellington. That’s not something I would’ve done on my own.
“The other stand-out moment was hitch-hiking to and from a race outside Nelson. Whilst trying to hitch back to town with another English guy who had been running, we got picked up by some scary Kiwis in a car that felt like it was about to fall apart. I was clutching my prize from the race which was a huge glass jug! We were relieved to get out even though it was on a busy road in the middle of nowhere.”
Despite her success, Ms Viner’s feet remain firmly on the ground with regards to her future in the sport. “I wouldn’t describe myself as a particularly serious athlete,” she said. “I run for the enjoyment of it and I love training, competing and being part of a club.
“Running has led me to meet some of my best friends and I think the social aspect is perhaps more important than running and winning races.”
Viner will return to London on the morning of 7 May – just in time to vote in a general election for the first time.
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