To feel the entirety of my being; body, mind and spirit connected to the natural world and flying through it in full acceptance with the impermanence of life.

Running has been my greatest teacher throughout the years. I was lucky enough to be introduced to running as a sport at a young age and fell in love instantly. I was a cheeky energetic child and was made to run stairs and hills to burn off some of my steam. Somehow, I still love hill and stair reps today. We'd run as a family every Sunday, and these were some of my most treasured memories. During my teens I'd go out for surreal and magical night runs, escaping my sometimes overwhelming reality and negative self-talk, running made me appreciate my body and reconnect to it. I raced but I never enjoyed the competition so after school I decided running was best left to me amongst the trees.

The thing about running is that it always showed me how I was feeling, it tore down my barriers, showed me the truth and then guided me towards the path of healing. If you're not nourishing yourself, body, mind and spirit it will show that up tenfold. Running has shown me how I can best nourish myself and I studied nutrition, taught yoga and work as a psychologist because to me these encompass the aspects that running has shown me need to be aligned to be the best version of myself, and show up as the best friend and family member every day. How can I give out if I'm taking from an empty space.

I have always said that trail running makes me feel like I'm flying. Going downhill you feel yourself dodging and weaving like a tree ski run and uphill you're so focused on each footstep and distractingly beautiful tree and rocky enclave that the pain is transmuted. When I first entered the trail race space at the Coastal Classic a few years ago I was so overwhelmed by how special the experience was that I cried part way! I felt the spark that is racing in these communities, sharing the journey, and experiencing the highs and lows as a whole. Once you feel that spark there's no going back.

My first ultra-race a few months later embraced all the grit, savage and elation that makes for my perfect day out. Coming back from a surf accident I couldn't feel half my right foot after some nerve damage. I was put on HOKA shoes, and I saw the wings on the side. Me and those wings shared the most special 5ish hours flying together chanting mantras in order not to perish. For my birthday I asked for two pairs of HOKA shoes which were huge for me, I have not looked back.

The sheer elation this sport has given me is something I can't bottle up to just myself. It's allowed me to enter the most authentic friendships from my first race (with my still best friend) to more recently. I've started up a group for women in the Northern Beaches to create a safe and real space to share feelings, truth and the reality of day-to-day highs and lows. Setting the intention as a collective to show up as you are and run, jog, or just have a chat. Everyone is accepted as they are, in all forms, any background and all levels of experience with running. I think this is what running is, or at least has been to me, a guide towards acceptance for me uniquely as me, even if I feel disheveled on the inside and outside the trails accept me. They empower older me to return to my younger less weighted version to come out and run fast, explore, have fun, or maybe just jog slow through the magnificent Aussie bush. Every day it welcomes me with open arms, even when I'm injured I run fly in my dreams.

Paige's favourite HOKA running shoes for Trail Running are the Tecton X 2, Speedgoat 6, Mafate Speed, and Torrent. While for Road Running she loves getting into the Clifton 9.