2 April 2025
Running in ultra-marathons and raising three children is a self-imposed challenge for Sergeant Sarah Parkins, of Joint Military Police Force.
In mid-February, Sergeant Parkins placed 18th out of 450 in the 160km mixed-gender Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc series event in New Zealand, crossing the finish line with her children.
With a time of 19 hours, 11 minutes and 11 seconds, she came third out of all the women.
“That obviously reinstated to me that I ran hard for a reason,” Sergeant Parkins said.
“Being a mum of three and managing these kinds of events is huge; achieving this is significant for me.”
The track featured a fast, runnable course with 4000 metres of elevation gain.
Weather conditions were favourable, starting cool and warming up during the day.
Sergeant Parkins consumed energy gels, electrolyte drinks and high-carb foods during the race to replenish lost calories.
“The body goes into a calorie deficit; I could be running and thinking I'm all good and all of a sudden my breathing is heavy but the heart rate on my watch is all good,” she said.
“Your body literally eats your muscles. According to my stats, over the total distance I lost 9500 calories.
“It’s about building a good diet [in the lead-up months] to the race to pre-load yourself.”
Sergeant Parkins' training involves weekly mileage of between 95km and 100km, including speed work, strength training and hill climbs.
“I look at it when I’m three months out then start to really pick it up, peak load being about 120km,” she said.
Her next challenge is the Down Under 135, a gruelling 220km race with more than 13,000 metres of elevation.
Sergeant Parkins aims to become only the third female to complete the race since its inception.
“The elevation will be the biggest thing; the cut-off time will be 55 hours,” she said.
On average, out of 40 starters, between five and seven finish the race.
“It's just to prove to yourself that you can do it,” Sergeant Parkins said.
“There's not really much more other than to be a good role model for my kids. That's the most important.”
