Even so, Maria never imagined she would go on to become a world-class athlete, representing New Zealand in the para-triathlon and marathon. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was really by chance I got into marathoning,\u201d laughs Maria, who was born with congenital glaucoma and, as a child, would do anything to avoid sport. <\/p>\n
Maria never imagined she would go on to become a world-class athlete. Photo \/ Hagen Hopkins<\/p>\n
\u201cA colleague at the time, Christine Adamson, said, \u2018You\u2019ve got the right build, you could be a good runner.\u2019 I thought she\u2019d forget, but she kept asking me about it, so I decided, \u2018I\u2019ll have to show her that I\u2019m not a good runner.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Maria discovered she was a natural and also that she loved it, and soon she was running half-marathons.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very freeing to be out moving on the streets and trails,\u201d smiles Maria, who runs tethered to a guide for safety. <\/p>\n
Next, Maria was introduced to two-time world mountain running champion Melissa Moon, who quickly became her guide, friend and mentor.<\/p>\n
\u201cMelissa said, \u2018I think you have what it takes to do a full marathon,\u2019 and it seemed like an amazing goal to be able to run 42km.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maria finishing the swim in Taranaki with Melissa. Photo \/ Lisa Burd<\/p>\n
The pair trained together intensively and, in 2015, they qualified to run the full marathon at the Para-athletic World Championships in London.<\/p>\n
It was an incredible feeling to be competing on the world stage, but the high was short-lived. Maria returned to New Zealand with persistent pain, and was eventually diagnosed with stress fractures<\/a> in her femur and foot. <\/p>\n \u201cIt took a really long time to recover and build myself back up, but I knew I would do it,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n That determination inspired her to take on a new challenge \u2013 the para-sprint triathlon, which consists of a 750m swim, a 20km bike ride and a 5km run. <\/p>\n \u201cIt was fun to try a whole different learning curve,\u201d smiles Maria, who is tethered to a guide during the swim and run, and rides a tandem bike.<\/p>\n \u201cThe swim is my hardest challenge. You never know if the sea is going to be colder or rougher than expected, but I just have to get through it without panicking, keep calm and push on.\u201d<\/p>\n Maria and Melissa have competed together in New Zealand, Canada, Japan and Australia. In 2023, she placed second at the World Para-triathlon Series in Devonport, Tasmania. <\/p>\n But in recent years, self-funding international competitions, often with only 30 days\u2019 notice, started to take a toll. So now Maria focuses on events closer to home. <\/p>\n She runs up to 16km twice a week with a friend, Kim Norton, and swims in the Wellington Harbour with another friend, Karen Jenkinson, up to four times a week. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so lucky to have all these women around me helping me do these crazy things,\u201d tells Maria. <\/p>\nMelissa and Maria biking. Photo \/ NZ Woman’s Weekly<\/p>\n
Maria with her trusted guide dog Ava. Photo \/ Hagen Hopkins<\/p>\n