News & Updates

When Jaime Stevenson steps on the start line of the New Zealand 100km Championships in Christchurch on Sunday, she will be among a small but select band of athletes gunning for a podium spot in the energy-sapping event.

Yet beyond podium positions and personal running ambitions, the race will represent another small step on her mental health journey – in which running has played a pivotal role in helping manage the worst symptoms which, as for so many, can be an ongoing battle.

It was back in 2011, 28 weeks pregnant with her second child, when Jaime’s world abruptly felt as though it had plunged into despair. Like flicking “a switch”, she suddenly started to suffer from severe anxiety and panic attacks. Following the birth of her son, Tais, the problems deteriorated further. Medication failed to address her anxiety, so she turned to running – something she found had helped her overall well-being as a younger person working as a teacher in Japan.

“I found and still do find that once I start running everything else seems to fall into place,” she explains. “I’d had my ups and downs but when I turned back to running everything else seems to run smoothly. I then found I ate better and slept better, which allowed me to look after myself better.”

In 2012 she made her 42.2km debut at the Gold Coast Marathon and as her passion for running evolved, she branched out into racing ultra-marathons. In 2017 for her 40th birthday, she then took on the gruelling six-day 250km Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert.

Over the past seven years, Jaime has also worked as a running coach yet while she is in a much better place mentally, she admits her issues will never completely disappear.

“Anxiety will always be there, it’s just I’ve learned to identify the triggers,” explains Jaime, 44. “The only way I can stop it and burn it off is to go for a run. It then allows me to think clearly again until the next situation arises for me.”

In 2020 her career took a big step forward as she won the Alps2Ocean Ultra race and that year, under the advice of Wayne Botha, the 2018 New Zealand 100km champion, she was encouraged to join a club in order to enter Athletics NZ.

Excited at the prospect, last year she joined North Harbour Bays and in November entered her maiden Athletics NZ event, placing fourth in the New Zealand 24-Hour Championships in Auckland.

“Previously I was more into ultra and trail runs, and I was not really aware of clubs until Wayne mentioned it,” explains Canadian-born Jaime who arrived in New Zealand 18 years ago. “Now I am affiliated with Athletics New Zealand, the 100km champs seemed perfect for me because I love road running.”

Last November at the national 24-hour championships at her home track at AUT Millennium, she believes she had not prepared to be mentally tough enough to cope with the demands of the event.

However, since drawing from Kiwi Dr. Ceri Evans’ book Performing Under Pressure, the mum-of-two from Dairy Flat believes she has built far greater mental resilience. After an encouraging fifth place finish in the women’s race at last month’s Riverhead Backyard Ultra, she is well positioned for a prominent showing at the New Zealand 100km Championships, which take place at North Hagley Park on Sunday.

“I love running on the roads and flat and my aim is to complete the distance in sub-ten hours,” she adds. “This will be my first 100km on the road and I’m looking forward to seeing how the legs respond.”

*The 2021 New Zealand 100km Championships is incorporated into the 15th Sri Chinmoy 100km, 50km and 100km Teams race at North Hagley Park, Christchurch on Sunday. Please click here for more information.