“The beauty of running is that you see everything.”
These are the words of Hazel Möller (42), an ultra-marathon runner from Primrose Hill.
Möller, a member of the Bedfordview Athletics Club, took part in her first race in 1997 and she loved it.
In 2001, she met her husband Chris (44) at a race and he encouraged her to start taking part in ultra-marathons.
“I would never have had the courage to do a 100-miler (161km), but with Chris’s encouragement I tried it and loved it.”
“The hectic competitiveness of the marathons didn’t really appeal to me, but with an ultra-marathon it is your race; the whole aim is just to make it to the end alive,” laughed Möller.
“I love doing road races, this is my niche and you go into a different space, your own world.”
Although Möller told the GCN she doesn’t do the ultra-marathons to win, she has an impressive list of records and accomplishments to her name.
In 2005 she won the Midlands 100-miler outright, breaking the world record.
“This was rather special, as I was the first woman ever to do this,” Möller said.
As a woman she has gone on to win a number of other events outright and always gets a placing in whatever race she participates.
“I don’t think I have a talent for it; I learnt endurance, enjoy it and train hard, and that’s why I do well,” she said.
Möller added that she had always wanted to do something for charity, so she used the Washie, in Port Elizabeth, to raise funds for an animal charity.
“We managed to raise R30 000 for the charity, which was great,” she said.
“It was such a wonderful experience to run for something else, not only for myself.
“When I was suffering I just thought about how the animals were suffering and this spurred me on.”
Möller started another charity initiative this year, called the Ten 10.
Three runners started running 10 days before the Comrades Marathon, covering 90km a day.
One of the runners dropped out on the first day, the second lasted three days and Möller managed to do five days (she had to stop due to a stomach ulcer).
However, after taking medication she rallied and managed to run and finish the Comrades.
This initiative led to R80 000 being raised for Pet Empowerment.
They will be doing the Ten 10 again next year.
In September, Möller broke another record — Wally Haywood’s 24-hour race record.
“I attended the race in Pietermaritzburg just to complete the 100-miler,” she explained.
“I don’t really enjoy running races on a track, but that one race was organised by a friend of mine, so I decided to try it.”
As it turned out, Möller was persuaded to try for the 24-hour record and she accomplished it.
“The one nice thing about being on a track is that there are lots of runners and you get time to socialise,” she said.
“My father, Winston, was watching me in that race and it was lovely to break a record with him there.”
The talented athlete trains every day for about two and a half hours, running with her dogs, Lisa, Roxy and Tyson.
Hazel is a chemical engineer by trade and works from home.
She loves to spend time with her three children, Riley (6), Monique (10) and Bryce (22).
She said she is raising her children to have well-rounded lives, and that they don’t have to be athletic, but Bryce is already a fantastic biathlon athlete.
