Belmont personal trainer and marathon runner Michelle Barnes aims to notch up her sixth marathon in October, and she will be raising money for the Heart Foundation in the process.
Barnes, who has a congenital heart condition and was diagnosed an asthmatic at age five, has not let either of these conditions impinge on her fitness regime and marathon efforts.
“I have an excellent cardiologist who I see once every five years, who fully supports everything I do and shares an interest in my lifestyle,” she said.
“My heart condition should never have improved throughout my life, however as a result of my long distance running, it has improved significantly.”
The mother of three has been competing in marathons for the past eight years.
‘’If I am running 42 kilometres, I will only be running in the most beautiful and exciting places in the world,” she said.
Barnes ran her first marathon in Melbourne in 2013, followed by the Queenstown Marathon in New Zealand, the famed New York City Marathon and Melbourne a second time.
‘’Queenstown was so beautiful. It rained the entire day and I finished the race with hypothermia, however running past snow-capped mountains in one of the most picturesque places in the world was something very special,” a buoyant Barnes said.
She understood the task ahead when registering for the New York City Marathon in 2016.
‘’I thought to myself if I was going to run in the best marathon in the world, I would need to work my butt off,” she said.
Her hard work and determination paid off with a pleasing time.
“My fifth marathon was in Disneyworld Florida, taking part in the Disneyworld Dopey Challenge,”she said.
“It was four days of racing – five kilometres on Thursday, 10 kilometres on Friday, half marathon on Saturday and the full marathon on Sunday.’’
Barnes, who ran in all four events, underestimated the intensity of the gruelling challenge.
‘’It was so hard and I did not give Florida the credit it deserved, but it was so much fun,” she said.
Barnes and fellow runners dressed up as their favourite Disney characters to compete over the four-day event.
‘’We all dressed up as Disney princesses, stopping along the way to take photos with other characters. To this day, it still remains the most fun I have ever had in 42 kilometres.”
Barnes and her three children, aged between 12 and 17, plan on returning to Florida in 2028 to compete in the Disneyworld Dopey Challenge. It is expected to mark Barnes’s retirement from marathon racing.
“I will be 50 by then, and even if the kids are dragging Mum across the finish line, it will all be worth it to accomplish something like this as a family,” she said.
Barnes is now preparing to run in her sixth marathon, in Auckland, New Zealand, which is scheduled for October 31 this year. COVID travel restrictions, however, mean the chances of Barnes being able to compete are slim.
‘’The Auckland Marathon has been on my bucket list for years, however I know I am probably not going to get there this year, so I have committed to running the marathon virtually around home, all 42.195km.’’
The route closer to home is yet to be determined, but Barnes plans to incorporate the Fernleigh Track.
“I am a bit of a creature of habit when it comes to running. Each Sunday I leave home at Belmont North, head north along the Fernleigh Track, run a few laps around Charlestown and Kahibah, before heading towards home,’’ she said.
Whether she runs her next marathon in Auckland or in Newcastle, Barnes will be raising money for the Heart Foundation.
“The Heart Foundation is a very special cause and is a charity my family and I are passionate about. I want to raise as much money and awareness for this cause as I can,” she said.
Meanwhile, Barnes will keep clocking up the kilometres in training.
“I think it is really important as we age to remain extra fit. Although I can’t keep up with my kids these days,’’ Barnes laughs.
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Jayden Fennell