The event was cancelled about a month ago, because of Covid restrictions.
But the 26-year-old was well aware of the cancellation.
She went ahead with her run anyway because she hated the thought of wasting all the months she had spent training for the 42km event. For her, it was about passion, not prizes.
‘‘I was so disappointed that the marathon was cancelled.
‘‘After all my training, I decided to run the marathon the day it was scheduled.
‘‘All my training and hard work paid off, and from the start line to the finish, you could barely wipe the smile off my face.’’
Ms Warhurst was one of ‘‘a handful’’ of runners who started at the Portobello Recreation Reserve on Saturday morning, did a loop around Harwood, and then went on to the new cycle/walkway where they were joined by friends and supporters for the remainder of the run around the Otago Peninsula and Otago Harbour, to the finish line at Emerson’s Brewery, in Dunedin.
‘‘I soaked up the whole marathon experience; the words of encouragement from my support team when I needed it most, and the toots from passing cars was a huge boost.’’
She was delighted to finish her marathon in 3 hours, 45 minutes.
‘‘Running through the finish line with cheering friends and parents was next level awesome, and the sense of pride washed over me at what I had achieved.’’
Planning for next year’s Dunedin Marathon has already begun, and it is hoped Covid-19 will not disrupt the 2022 event.
All entries from this year have been automatically rolled over to the 2022 event.
