At 41 - with two teenagers and a contentedly unadventurous life - Heather Hawkins made a doctor's appointment. Diagnosed with stage one ovarian cancer, within nine days she had surgery to remove an 18cm tumour, and a full hysterectomy. Instead of chemotherapy, she chose a non-invasive surveillance treatment. 

The experience reignited Heather's adventurous and invincible spirit. At 47 she pulled on an old pair of shorts and runners and struggled to the end of a 4km mothers' day fun run with her kids. Five years later she has 17 marathons and 3 ultra marathons under her belt, including the North Pole Marathon and the extraordinary World Marathon Challenge - a gruelling seven marathons in seven days on seven continents. She topped that off by trekking 1700km in the thin air of Nepal's Great Himalaya Trail. 

And she's only just getting started ...

'Heather's courage is immeasurable. She has unstoppable conviction and an energy that inspires and amazes me' - Robert de Castella - AO MBE, Australian Former World champion Marathon Runner
 
In this interview Lisa digs deep beyond the glib facts of Heather's adventures to find out what makes this lady tick, how she managed within just 5 years to go from being totally sedentary to a full on extreme ultra runner, to run in all four corners of the world.
 
We would like to thank our show sponsors

The North Face -

Premier Outdoor equipment specialists who have been kitting out adventurers around the world for the past 50 years. 

Specialists in trail running gear - Check out their full range at www.thenorthface.co.nz

Running Hot Coaching: 

The online training platform run by Lisa Tamati and Neil Wagstaff. 

Do you have a dream to run a big race, maybe a half marathon, a marathon or even an ultramarathon?

Have you struggled to fit in the training in your busy life?

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So who are we?

Lisa Tamati is an a professional ultramarathon runner with over 25 years experiences racing the world's toughest endurance events and leading expeditions. Author of two internationally published running adventure books. She is also a mindset expert. From crossing the Libyan desert on foot to running Death Valley to running the length of NZ for charity, she has been there and done that. For more information on Lisa click here: www.lisatamati.com

Neil Wagstaff is an exercise scientist, coach and ultramarathon runner with over 22 years experience in the health and fitness industry. He has trained hundreds of athletes and coaches alike to the successful completion of their goals.  For more info or to download our free run training ecourse go to www.runninghotcoaching.com/running-success

Training Tilt software - a complete toolkit for trainers, health and fitness professionals, coaches and nutritionists, combine your website, ecommerce needs, client communication and training plans into one easy to use platform. Find out more at www.lisatamati.com

 
The Path of an Athlete - Mindset academy. An in-depth online programme that teaches you how to develop mental toughness, resilience, leadership skills, a never quit mentality, mental wellbeing and the keys for success in anything you set your mind to.

Do you wish you had the mental toughness of an extreme athlete?

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If so, you can now learn the secrets to mental toughness and to developing a never quit mindset from someone who has been there and done that and lived to tell the tale.
For more information go to www.lisatamati.com