By: Joni Boyd
This inspiring Aussie woman has overcome more than most to realise her dream of conquering some of Australia’s hardest tracks.
A gruelling 150km run across the Simpson Desert is Stephanie’s longest run so far. It her took five days.
Running an ultramarathon is something most of us can’t even imagine doing – and initially for Stephanie, it was the same.
“I started running around a hockey field in the dark, because I didn’t want anyone to see me!”
“I grew up not being particularly sporty,” Stephanie shared.
“I came last in the hundred metre race [at school], so I always thought, ‘no I’m never going to be a runner.’”
But then, in January 2012, Stephanie was ready for a change. She decided it was time to get fit and give running a try. This decision kicked off a journey that became a huge part of Stephanie’s life. “I started running around a hockey field in the dark, because I didn’t want anyone to see me!” she admits. “I could barely run 50 metres.”
Slowly building her fitness and resilience, Stephanie started with a 5km race, followed by 10km, 14km and a half marathon. Followed by a full marathon: 42km. All with type 1 diabetes.
“Type 1 diabetes makes it a bit trickier to run but it doesn’t make it impossible,” Stephanie said and explains that she planned out her eating during and around running, timing and tracking her insulin using her Continuous Glucose Monitor.
“It’ll always be a challenge, but I don’t want to use [type 1 diabetes] as an excuse not to run, because I love running!” she said.
In her book It’s Not a Sprint: Lessons of Faith and Endurance on the Marathon of Life, Stephanie likens the Christian walk to running a marathon.
“As a Christian you do need to persevere, keep running the race,” she said “God says to keep our eyes on Jesus, keep running the race that is set before you.
“It does take endurance, it does take perseverance, it’s not going to be easy, but we’ve got the prize ahead that we can look towards.”
Learn more about Stephanie’s journey at stephaniewalters.com.au.
Article supplied with thanks to Hope Media.
Feature image: Images sourced from Instagram @stephwalterswrites
About the Author: Joni Boyd is a writer, based in the Hawkesbury Region of NSW. She is passionate about the power of stories shared, to transform lives.