When it comes to athletes, Anna Frost is arguably one of New Zealand's best-kept secrets.
The 30-year-old Dunedin woman's running shoes have become her passport to the world and she now plies her trade with the crack French-sponsored Salomon professional mountain and trail running team.
Don't be fooled by her petite stature - Frost is as tough as they come and has conquered some of the world's most arduous mountains and trails.
Last year alone she competed in 35 gruelling events.
She holds the women's race record for the Everest Marathon (despite being knocked over by a yak); was the 2009 Commonwealth uphill champion; recently won the Table Mountain Challenge over a 37km course on Cape Town's famous mountain; and has surprised many by winning the prestigious San Francisco 50 Mile Race for the past two years.
All this for a woman who began as a talented hockey player at Otago Girls' High School, in Dunedin, and dabbled in rowing, rugby and multisport.
"I wasn't a very talented runner," Frost said during a recent visit home.
"I was really a hockey player. I had a little bit of a running focus with triathlons and half-marathons, but that was it."
That all changed in 2004 when, after several years running 10km and half-marathon races, Frost entered the national mountain running champs near Wanaka and discovered an underlying talent.
She enjoyed running up hills - the steeper the better - and was, in fact, very good at it.
Frost did not win but did enough to make the national team for the world championships in Italy.
"I just fell in love with the sport. I loved the idea of putting yourself through hell and trying to max uphill.
"Marathons in mountains are now my favourite distance; three to six hours and the higher, steeper and more extreme the better. My strength is certainly in the uphill legs.
"It's [running] provided me with an opportunity to discover the world." The Italy experience was enough to convince Frost to head to Europe and compete in an international trail-running circuit.
While her achievements go largely unnoticed in New Zealand, Frost has earned an enviable international reputation.
She is well aware her achievements barely rate a mention back home, not that she is complaining.
"I guess mountain running hasn't really developed as a sport over here yet, which is a surprise given the terrain and scenery we have. Races like the Kepler and Routeburn are really popular, so it would be nice to see the sport take off.
"It is an amazing sport. You get a sense of freedom being on a mountain.You look at the summit from the ground and then feel 'Wow, I've just run up there' when you get to the top. It's a nice place to be for yourself ... surrounded by nature."
For those runners who prefer to avoid hills, let alone mountains, Frost has some basic advice. It is all about lung capacity, leg power and mental strength.
"Your legs burn from the start, but you have to run through that burn. I guess a lot of it is about having that mental power to keep going when things get tough."
Frost knows how fortunate she was to get snapped up by Salomon in 2009, although she is quick to dismiss it as a case of "who you know".
She had been working as a physical education teacher in Wales and was competing with success on the European mountain-running scene when approached to join the 20-strong professional team.
Being paid to travel and run seemed too good an opportunity to ignore.
Each year the team runners are given a calender mapping out mountain and trail runs on the international scene. They simply choose which events they want to target.
While success is important, enjoyment and publicising the Salomon brand is the key.
The athletes are paid a retainer, all travel and accommodation expenses are covered and of course there is the all-important branded clothing and shoes which come as part of the deal.
"I don't come out of it with a lot of money, but I'm a minimalist person ... I don't really own anything," Frost said.
"Salomon asked what my dream is and what can they do to help achieve it. If we win it's a bonus. I like to think people will see us at events smiling and talking to people at the start line.
"If people are happy you get noticed and maybe they will go out and buy Salomon equipment. It's more meaningful than someone who wins an event with a serious look on their face and then leaves straight away."
While Frost was based in Wales for three years she is now officially of no fixed abode.
"We tend to live wherever the race is. I'm living out of my backpack.
"I'd like to have a bit more of a structured life at some stage, but I'm in no hurry."
The Salomon team, which includes fellow New Zealander Jonathan Wyatt, has become Frost's surrogate family and they rely heavily on each other as they travel the world.
"It's hard in the real world to understand and accept our choices, but it comes down to a love for running."
As for the future, Frost is happy just looking as far ahead as the next race.
Last year she branched out to ultradistance running, winning the San Francisco 50 Mile Race, much to the surprise US competitors.
"I hated every second of it. It took me a couple of months before it sunk in what I had achieved and I realised I wanted to go back and try again. Some people thought I fluked it."
She returned to the 2011 race in December and proved it was no fluke, winning again and setting a women's race record of 6hr 56min.
So does that mean more ultradistance races?
"I see ultras as totally different. It's about turning it on on the day. Anything can happen.
"I've got no immediate intention of doing more ultras, but I might try later on."
Judging by her determination, stand by for more success at that.
