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Help Fund My Oceania Champs & Europe Racing Tour

  • That's a wrap

      22 July 2024

    One last update for you all! Last night I had my final race (800m) of a busy 7-week euro (+Fiji & USA) tour. To be honest, I felt like crap in the days leading into this and race day was no different. I thought I was getting sick the week before and my 1500m race in Dublin brought that to fruition with a pretty ngarly head cold. Luckily it was just that, so I trained through the week and got to the startline more nervous for a 2-lapper than any of the other races this entire trip (annoying)! I wanted to run 2:02, but instead came away with 2:04 (still a PB by a second) and 5th in the B race. While I'd normally be disappointed with that, I'm content with the result given everything and the season I've had to that point.

    So to summarise it all:

    Oceania 1500m Champ

    800m PB - 2:04.27 (beat my NZ Masters 30-35 record LOL)

    1500m PB - 4:06.31 (no. 5 NZ All-time)

    2000m PB - 5:45.51

    3000m PB - 8:59.05

    5000m PB - 15:35.05

    I've met and raced against some incredible athletes, and even better people this trip. It's been one I'll never forget - it's instilled a confidence in my own ability which I knew was there but this has removed a lot of the doubt that often creeped in from time to time. I'm forever grateful for this opportunity, so THANK YOU EVERYONE for being part of it!!

    I'm now taking a little break to reset and come back VERY VERY hungry to level up and make that 2025 World Champs team. It won't be easy, this sport never is, but I'll be doing everything I can do to get there.

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  • 4:06 BABBYYYY!

      15 July 2024
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    As you’re all aware last week was a huge racing week for me and although 3 races in 7 days felt a little crazy, I was up for the challenge and cannot believe I finished that on such a huge high with Friday nights’ 4:06.31 performance for 4th place at Morton Games. That now moves me to No. 5 on the all-time list for 1500m.

    Morton Games put on quite a show and SOMEHOW the weather was PERFECT for the evening. I won’t give you much of the detail because you can watch for yourself at the link below (scroll to 1hr 58). But, while feeling like I was a little sick and very much am now, my body was ready to rock from the get go!

    So yes, I’m over the moon with this entire trip & have never felt so confident and ready to not just be pulled along for fast times but to actually race and fight for top spots!

    This is also a little bizarre. I knew I had a 4:06 in me all year. Pic attached is prior to when I left for Europe - that 4:06 has been on my bedroom mirror for 6 months. And now that I’ve done it, it almost doesn’t feel real. So I guess now the mirror manifestation needs an update and I’m SO PUMPED!

    I’ve got one more race this weekend before a break - either another 1500 in Belgium or a spicy 800m in Luxembourg. So here’s hoping one more to go out with a bang.

    THANK YOU ALL!

    Race link: https://www.youtube.com/live/Com2pd-txNI?si=z_WUcysKF3lFYV2t

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  • Offical sub-9 😄

      10 July 2024

    Hey team,

    Cork City Sports 3000m update: an official PB and sub-9 (8:59.03) for 7th in a damn good field. I’m ok with it but definitely wanted more from that one as I felt I could definitely run closer to 8:50.

    The first km in 2:58 suited me perfectly, got into a good position and felt relaxed. Then I just felt the front part of the field swallowed me up in about 200m and I just couldn’t quite shift a gear - potentially also missed a little break by a tiny margin too. I ended up slogging out a good couple laps solo with a headwind down the back straight which isn’t ideal.

    Legs didn’t feel completely fresh either (probably travel/race related) so given all of that, an 8:59 on an average day isn’t too shabby. It’s a really odd feeling when you’re slightly disappointed with a PB, but lots of positives to take away from that race regardless.

    I’m now jumping on a bus to Dublin with over 50 of us athletes all competing at Morton Games next too.

    I’ll be in the women’s 1500m on Friday at 8:55pm local time (Saturday 7:55am NZT). If you’d like to watch, livestream link here: https://www.youtube.com/live/Com2pd-txNI?si=j4CxuzIuaBEd5Rev

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  • Breaking the tape 🥇

      7 July 2024
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    Bonjour again from France,

    A quick little update for you all from another airport…

    Last night I came away with the win in a random 2000m race just outside of Paris in the “City of Horses”, Maisons-Lafitte. This was at the Fast5000, On Track Nights Paris edition which most definitely did not disappoint. Honestly the best track meet I’ve ever been to (with the exception of Night of 5s because I’m bias).

    Since the 2000m is not often run, the tactic going in was just race to win - get near the front, stay there and cover every move. Recently I’ve found most my races it takes through to 800m before I really settle and this wasn’t any different. Once I got to 800m this time it felt pretty cruisy so I just needed to conserve energy and be patient. That patience ran out at 250m to go and I just went for it, crossing the line in 5:45, just one second shy of the NZ record which my coach has just informed me of (how annoying!).

    If you’d like to rewatch, skip to about 7hrs34 on this YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/live/-S-97zbvRTA?si=IHnS8Jd4cmEP80Jv

    So now after a solid 3.5 hrs sleep 😫 I’ve got a long day of travel to Cork, Ireland before a 3000m race there on Tuesday. I’m excited for this one - I want a BIG OFFICIAL PB! So recovery is no. 1 priority these next two days. Let’s go!

    Laura 😄

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  • Ooooff 🤏🤏🤏🤏 close!

      24 June 2024

    Last night was a good old British Milers Club race - can always guarantee a pacer and good vibe!

    The fields were released for this a few days earlier, and knowing most European countries have their nationals champs coming up next weekend, I didn’t expect it to be a stellar field but we had a pacer who was pretty much bang on what was requested (2:11).

    Race plan went how we wanted - me sitting right behind the pacer from the get-go. I probably detached a tad on the second lap as I didn’t feel 100 but the goal was to make sure I didn’t drop too many seconds on the 3rd lap knowing I would have to push this myself. We went through 800m in around 2:12 and then pacer ran beside me through to 900m. From there I was well and truly on my own. I got to the bell at 3:02 (a great sign for me, especially knowing I could usually finish with a 65s last lap, If not quicker). Unfortunately running solo into a head wind on the home straight twice just took more energy out of me than I hoped, finishing in 4:09.88 (last week: 4:09.80 🙄).

    Very close to a PB but given circumstances I’m pretty happy with that & have never felt stronger. It’s coming - I just need a competitive race to shave off a few more seconds.

    If you’d like to rewatch, here’s a YouTube link: https://youtu.be/cLQq0jiQDWQ?si=a0ZDHtqRi6d6kXRb

    Next up: Spain to train for the next 10 days then…

    July 6 - 2000m at Fast5000 (France)

    July 9 - 3000m at Cork City Sports (Ireland)

    July 12 - 1500m at Morton Games (Ireland)

    😮‍💨

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  • Bonjour!

      17 June 2024
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    Hello team! Well it's been a big 14 days, as you'll know from my last 2 updates from Fiji & USA. This time it's from France! Last night I raced in Troyes, a very cute little medieval town where I quickly located my local boulangerie for daily baguettes and croissants - a great thing to look forward to when you can't sleep more than 4hrs straight because of jetlag. Oh, the joys!

    Anyway, last night's race: it started with a good old 30min delay so that felt like the longest warm-up ever, but worked in our favour as the wind died down a little - it was AWFUL all day.

    I knew this race could be messy with most the field having PBs of 4:07-4:12. So I had elbows ready and had to be more aggressive than most races I usually run. We went through 400 in around 65/66, 2:13/14 for me at 800 and I hit the bell at 3:04, slightly down on what I wanted. Although the first 2 laps weren't far off, I found myself in a big group with a lap to go - I felt pretty good so made the commitment to just boost with 300m to go......and boy did I boost! I went from about 8th to 2nd in that final part of the race to run an official PB of 4:09.80 (I have run slightly quicker but in a men's field which doesn't count).

    So lots of positives from that race, but I need to be up with the front girls next time, not chasing hard to give myself a better shot! If you'd like to rewatch, skip to 2h34 here:

    https://youtu.be/bJNUaGjZPnw?si=cKx4eKNLNzeD0Jdp&t=9248

    Next up: Loughborough 1500 on Saturday!

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  • It’s about time!

      11 June 2024
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    Well it only took 10 yrs, 6 months and 2 days to run a 5000m PB!

    Last night I competed at the Portland Track Fest in a good 5000m field to really kick things! Here’s a run down: My race had a pacer to go through 3k in 9:10. So going in all I had to do was sit in, relax and hold on for as long as I could.

    I went through the first km in 3:03, probably a little quicker than I would have liked but it felt pretty comfortable. I had to remind myself I had 4km to go though and that easy feeling can change quickly.

    The pacer and eventual winner ended up with a gap on our chase pack for a while. And there was a lot of jostling in the race - something I need to get more comfortable with! I went through 3k in 9:22 and still felt okay. That changed with 4laps to go!

    I needed make sure I closed any gaps that occurred. I did for the most part but ended up being just a little too detached from the front pack in the last km. That made it tough with the wind on the back straight. Those laps went by much slower than the first few but the clock said 15:00 with 200m to go and I just needed finish! So here we are, sitting at PDX airport on the way to Europe with a 7-second PB (15:35)!

    This one means a lot - 10+ years is a long time between bests. When I went part-time at work last year to try do this thing again, the main reason was to make sure I was never left wondering how fast I could run. I just knew I had a lot more to give and here it is! 🙌

    Next up: 1500m in France on June 16!

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  • Oceania Champs ✅

      5 June 2024
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    Bula!

    A quick update from me while my wifi is working 💁‍♀️

    Race #1 (Oceania Champs 1500m) in Fiji is all done and dusted.

    The race panned out pretty much how I expected it to - no one wanting to take the lead. I quickly realised in the first 50m that I’d have to be at the front, battle a bit of wind, from start to finish. So that’s what I did!

    I didn’t want it to be too slow but it still ended up that way with a 75 second first lap - for those not sure on times I was hoping for more like a 68 or 69 because making up an extra 5-7seconds is quite a lot! But I suppose that’s my own fault since I was leading. Either way, I had to make sure I really pushed it the last 400m and stay as relaxed as possible doing so so I didn’t tie up - that worked a treat with a nice 61-second last lap to claim the win.

    A couple months worth of cobwebs are now blown out, so now I’m off to the US and excited to race a 5k at Portland Track Fest this weekend. The field is stacked - literally with some of the USAs top distance women - so I can only get stuck in and finally (hopefully) destroy my 10-year old 5k PB! I’ll pop up any stream links on my Instagram/Facebook stories if you’d like to watch.

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  • THANK YOU! Let's Go!

      24 May 2024

    Hello everyone!

    Sorry for the radio silence - it's been a rather busy few weeks with some pretty big training weeks, a couple of races thrown in at Rotorua Marathon weekend and, of course, a bit of work. But, good news is I'm feeling fitter and stronger than I've ever been - which is a really cool place to be in with just under 2 weeks to go before my first race.

    First, THANK YOU EVERYONE! For donating to this campaign - I know times are tough at the moment for a lot of people so I am very appreciative of all the support!! It still blows me away!

    Second, all winners have been contacted for the spot prize draw so congratulations to 11 of you who get to experience some of my favourite brands!

    Third, here are my race plans so far if you want to follow along:

    > June 4: Oceania Championships Senior Women's 1500m (Suva, Fiji)

    > June 9: Portland Track Festival 5000m (Portland, USA)

    > June 16: Meeting international d’athlétisme de Troyes Aube Women's 1500m (Troyes, France)

    > June 22 (TBC): BMC Grand Prix Loughborough - Women's 1500m (Loughborough, England)

    I usually post race times and any livestream links on Instagram a day before the race if timezones permit good watching for you =) Stay tuned there!

    That's all for now - I'll keep you updated along the way!

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