Introducing the first of the Warrioress series & our Adventurous warrioress, Heather Hawkins.
Heather is an author, adventurer, ultra marathon runner, speaker and mother of two.
In 2007, while recovering from surgery for Ovarian Cancer, Heather made a promise to herself to become fitter and braver, and to somehow find a way to reignite her sense of adventure that had been lost inside...
That decision, along with the experience of surviving cancer, would change her life forever…
Soon after, Heather trained to become a Surf Lifesaver and then in 2012 ran a 4km fun run with her two teenage children - it was the furthest she'd ever run - taking her way beyond her comfort zone, yet igniting a love for long distance running.
Fast track 15 years to today…
Running is now a defining part of Heather’s life - particularly trail marathons, ultra marathons and events in remote, challenging and breathtakingly beautiful environments.
Here are a few of her favourite races :
The North Pole Marathon - 42kms on an ice floe at the geographic north pole
The World Marathon Challenge - 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days
The Volcano Marathon - 42kms at altitude in the Atacama desert in Chile
The Marathon des Sables - 250km in 7 days in the Sahara Desert
The Track Ultra - 520km in 10 days in Outback Australia
Trekking and climbing are in the mix too.
In 2016 Heather spent 5 months trekking 1700 km along the Great Himalaya Trail in Nepal, with her two adult children and with a support team from World Expeditions. It was an incredible journey climbing technical mountain passes, living in the elements up at altitude, navigating rugged trails and visiting remote villages.
Everest Base Camp, The Larapinta Trail and Mt Kilimanjaro are favourite destinations too.
In 2017 Heather wrote her memoir ‘Adventurous Spirit’, published by Murdoch Books, then she followed this up by recording it as an audio book too - the reviews have been wonderful.
Heather continues to be passionate about raising awareness about the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer, and with every race and speaking event that she does, she raises funds for cancer research and patient care services, in the hope it will help improve the survival and quality of life of other women diagnosed too.
Through it all, she’s come to realise that it can often be the low points in our lives that become our most significant turning points…
Prompting us to seek out purpose and hope,
To cherish life,
Rediscover our sense of adventure,
Find our warrioress within…
There’s so much to love about seeing the sun rise over the ocean, feeling the wash of the waves, and running with a cool drift of air against my face. Life, every single day of it, is a precious gift - and it’s this notion that truly motivates me.
2) Inspirations: What / who / where inspires you? What influences your actions/life?
Family and friends are right up there as my greatest inspiration and having had the biggest influence in my life… they’ve shaped and guided me, loved, laughed and cried with me… A little piece of them forms a big part of me and I promise I will always be there for them too.
The wilderness also inspires me… remote majestic locations like the red desert regions of Outback Australia, the dazzling glaciers of Antarctica, the majestic Himalayas… their sheer scale and magnificence fills me with awe, draws me in again and again…
Teaching me valuable life lessons : to live fully in the moment, live simply and to tread lightly wherever I go.
3) Self care: What rituals / routines / practices / training do you use to nurture / strengthen your self?
Every morning, with a cup of tea in hand I sit in the garden away from the computer and the news - it’s a much needed buffer zone enabling me to start the day on my terms.
Twice a week I do a beach training session with friends from my local surf lifesaving club - running in the soft sand, working on core strength and flexibility, then finishing with an invigorating ocean swim.
Other days I focus specifically on running and training for ultras at Centennial Park… it’s here on the dirt trails that I build up my endurance, I also find inspiration, I problem solve, I pray, relive memories and think up ideas for writing and the future - I call it my personal processing time.
4) Self belief: What do you believe about yourself? How does that affect what you do?
I believe within me there’s an adventurous spirit, a caring and capable soul… and I believe that all the learnings and wisdom gained from life and loved ones, up to this point, will help equip me for whatever the future holds… I am incredibly grateful for this and it brings me a real sense of calm, gives me hope, and strengthens my inner resolve to live a life helping others, caring for the environment and seeking to grow…
5) Warrioress: your favourite style from the range & why?
The Recycled Mountain Bloom Run Skort - Beautiful patterns and colours, it’s made so well, the fit is perfect, it’s incredibly comfortable for long runs - and it looks fabulous!
Connect with Heather here.
Instagram : heather_adventurousspirit
Facebook : Heather Hawkins Adventurous Spirit
Audible :
Booktopia :
https://www.booktopia.com.au/adventurous-spirit-heather-hawkins/prod9781760522803.html
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