Deciding it was time to lose weight after tipping the scales at 132kg seven years ago, she lost a total of 63kg, and won the WeightWatchers New Zealand Slimmer of the Year title in 2008 for her efforts.
She took up running as part of her exercise regime. The 50-year-old kindergarten teacher, from Wyndham, has clocked up 14 marathons in six continents during the past seven years.
The Great Naseby Water Race was her destination on Saturday, and she completed the 50km race in about nine hours.
''I'm pretty happy with that. My new goal is to run a marathon in every continent, but I've missed out so far this year, so this took the place of that.''
It also acted as a training run for the New York Marathon in November.
Taylor's passion for running is even more surprising, considering her earlier dislike of exercise.
''When I started losing weight I didn't want to exercise at all but my father said just get out there and alternate walking and running between the lamp-posts. Then I read Kerre Woodham's book about running, did the Paris marathon in 2009 and was hooked.''
These days, she has no trouble finding the motivation and energy to keep running for hours.
''While I'm running, I'll usually be praying. I'll be thinking of people I can say some prayers for.''
Saturday's event was the eighth Great Naseby Water Race, and it was the second time a 160km event had been included, to complement the 50km, 60km, 80km and 100km distances.
The course was set around a 10km loop, with half along a gravel road and the other half in a track through the Naseby forest next to the water race that gives the event its name.
The water race was built for goldmining more than 150 years ago and is now used to supply drinking water for Naseby.
Event organiser Jamie Sinclair, of Dunedin, said the frozen snow around the course added to the challenges for competitors and a total of 156 athletes lined up for this year's races - a few more than last year.
A total of 43 people entered the 100-mile (160km ) event, which was won by John Bayne, of Dunedin, in 16hr 48min, ahead of Becky Nixon (18hr 15min), of Queenstown, who was also the first woman home. Glen Sutton, also of Dunedin, was third home in 18hr 53min. Emma Johns, of Dunedin, was second in the women's event with 20hr 28min.
''They ran through the night [Friday], and the temperature dropped to about minus 4 or minus 5. We're thinking of naming one corner, near the start and finish line, The Fridge, because it was so cold there overnight,'' Sinclair said.
Ben Aynsley (Hokitika) won the 100km event in 8hr 48min, with Fleur Pawsey (Christchurch) second (10hr 21min) and Wayne Baxter (Tuatapere) third (10hr 47min).
Adrian Riepen (Dunedin) won the men's 80km race in 8hr 25min and Kendra Breen (Alexandra) won the women's 80km in 9hr 46min.
The 50km event winners were Brian Schultze (Christchurch) in 3hr 59min and Tanya Dromgool (Tuatapere) in 4hr 38min, while Kelly McSoriley and Adam Cowie (Invercargill) won the 60km men's team in 4hr 35min, and Bernadette and Katherine Ewer (Temuka) were top in the 60km women's team event with 5hr 44min and Christine McLachlan and Jack Williams (Dunedin) won the 60km mixed team in 5hr 2min.
