about me

the dreaded runner

Who am I, and where did this all begin?

I'm Vicky Havill, thanks for being here.

Trail running has created a transformation of my physical and mental wellbeing, as I have pursued and crushed my own impossible, or rather what I thought were impossible, goals. I am here because I want to empower you with the confidence and knowledge to get out there and crush your own goals and reap all the benefits that brings, because, if I can do it I know that you can do it too. You already own the power, now you just have to allow yourself to ‘run’ towards it and take ownership of all the good things trail running brings! 

What's here for you?

At Dreaded Runner you’ll find motivational stories, race recounts and tips and tricks for when you are out on the trails. There won’t be stories of podium greatness, I’m just your ‘average’ runner who loves to adventure and wants to empower other ‘average’ runners to do great things. I promise that it will be real and it will be honest.

Join me on my journey of trail running life through the eyes of a mid to back of the pack runner. Spoiler alert, it includes a fair bit of walking, a small amount of crying and a whole lot of empowerment, community and laughter.

My story

I live in Christchurch, New Zealand which, lucky for me, brings with it easy access to the stunning Southern Alps. I moved here from the UK, where I was born and raised, in 2013 with my Kiwi husband, and 2 children who were 1 and 3 years old at the time. I have been homeschooling them for the past 7 years and have loved (almost) every minute of it. They are bigger than me now, not exactly hard considering I’m a grand total of 155cm tall, and along with my fabulous hubby they are my most favorite people on the planet. 

One thing you should know about me is that I am in no way, shape or form a natural born runner. I didn’t discover a love for running until I was introduced to the sport of trail running by a friend at 30, which turned out to be an epiphany moment. She jokes now that she created a monster. Personally, I prefer the term ‘trail running enthusiast’. 

As well as a mum and trail runner, I am also a volunteer surf lifeguard, a trainee volunteer field operative for LandSAR, a hiking enthusiast and obsessive devourer of a wide array of podcasts and audiobooks, some of which you may hear about on this blog.   

I figure that we all have ‘something’, an adversity of some kind to face and overcome. For me  that comes in the form of epilepsy which has plagued my adult life and I have had to learn to live with the uncertainty that this condition brings. I hope that my journey can help inspire you to break down the walls of limitations that your adversities present you with.

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