She will be at the Kumara Beach start line on February 11 to bid for her fourth title in the 243km individual Longest Day race across the main divide between the South Island’s west and east coasts.
But at the start of 2022, Maier (42) was champing against the bit of Covid restrictions, with no idea what her racing calendar would hold.
By the end of last year, she had won three important races, in New Zealand, Australia and Paraguay, collected two world championship titles and overcome a bout of Covid.
The first major win was last February, taking the Longest Day women’s title for the third time, and collecting her first world championship.
Late August, she won the Defiance Australia three day multisport event in Queensland, in a mixed-team double with Wānaka’s Dougal Allan.
In September, she realised her ultimate dream of joining Team Avaya, which emerged victorious at the 2022 World Adventure Racing Championships in Paraguay, despite two time penalties.
Avaya team member Sophie Hart required surgery for an injury and was unable to compete, and just two weeks before the race, team captain Nathan Fa’avae invited Maier to join him, Stu Lynch and Chris Forne overseas.
It was definitely not Maier’s first multi-day endurance test but Avaya took her to a whole new level.
The race was a lifetime opportunity, she said.
"It was what I had wanted for such a long time ... I wish everyone in adventure racing would have one chance to go with these guys and see how much fun it can be.
"You are out with your mates on an adventure and you don’t sleep much and you don’t want it to end because you are having such a good time," she said.
She was given the GoPro to look after but mucked that up and it didn’t record.
"I was devastated, my heart probably stopped beating for a few seconds, but Nathan said, ‘don’t worry, this is the beginning of the race, we are going to get it right’."
Maier still has unfinished business with the Coast to Coast course and will be giving it her all on February 11.
She toyed with the thought she would not return to the race this year, but realised she still has course goals, especially on the 70km kayak course, which was affected by adverse weather last year and shortened to 30km.
She also wants to be being stronger on the gnarly 30.5km mountain run and nail that final 70km bike ride into Christchurch.
Covid recovery
Top tip for athletes
Maier’s advice on returning to endurance sport after Covid is to take "baby steps".
Last year, she trained less than in previous years, not knowing if that would be good or bad.
Her hours on the hoof had already been cut by the colds and flus that circulated after the borders reopened. Then she got Covid.
"Even I, who am healthy, I am not invincible — I got slammed. Holy moly, I was surprised how slammed I got."
Her results showed less training did not do her any harm.
Knowing some people get sick from Covid for many weeks, Maier is grateful she recovered reasonably quickly.
"Restart with baby steps. Who cares if you do 5km or 10km. But do at least something, even little bits, more often, on a regular basis. That would be a good start."
