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Team

The following people make up my wonderful crew - past present and future. Every one of them is a dear friend and dedicated to my projects. Each has contributed to the success of 2008. Thanks guys and girls you are the best.

Howard Dell

Howard dell is an Olympic Sprinter, a Bobsleigh competitor, professional Grid Iron player, professional Basketballer, Actor, Musician and Singer, and Howard is crewing for me in death valley. Howard has writen a wonderful letter you can read here. Thanks Howard!

NEIL & SAM WAGSTAFF

Husband and wife team managers of the New Plymouth City Fitness, Sam and Neil were the quiet workers behind the scenes all the way through the project, getting me a sponsorship with City Fitness gyms and working on all the fundraising projects. Neil also trained me and trained with me, and every weekend was taken up with hours and hours of pounding the roads. Neil who had only ever ran 1 marathon when he met me became a tried and tested ultramarathoner in his own right, doing a marathon nearly every weekend in training and even completing the 100km national champs with me in Taupo last February. Neil was Team manager for the Badwater Ultramarathon and was the hard worker, dotting all the I's and crossing all the T's so we lacked nothing during the race. Neil and Sam were good mates and picked up the pieces regularly when I fell apart, always encouraging and understanding when the chips were down.

GERHARD LUSSKANDL

Gerhard is one of the best ultra runners in the world, and my best friend and ex-husband. Gerhard and I have raced together for the past 7 years in Morocco, Niger, Germany, Austria, Hungary, USA, New Zealand, Czech Republic. Gerhard came to Death Valley having already run the race the year before and armed with knowledge of the territory, what I was facing and my strengths and weaknesses, he paced me throughout the race covering over 150 of the 217 kilometres, carrying spray bottles and my water and food. Gerhard, whose nickname is the Terminator for obvious reasons, was the brains behind the logistics and the planning. He was the driving force and arse kicker during the race when I felt like lying down and dying. Tireless in his dedication to making sure I got there. I have so much to thank him for and I look forward to racing against him at next years race, all things going to plan. You better watch it GG I am on your tail...

Megan Stewart

Born and bred in the Naki, and proud of it, I was stoked when Lisa asked me to join her as support and pace crew for the 2009 Bad Water ultra marathon. I was awed by her massive effort in 2008 and to be invited to experience it personally in 2009 is a once in a lifetime opportunity - not to mention "ultra experiences". I have no such claims to fame; I am not even a runner!!!!! - couple of Oxfam 100km challenges and some extreme multi day tramps are the only experiences I have under my belt, so for me the learning curve of preparation and "hard arse" training will be significant. The mind and body experiences will be massive. I will need to call on many disciplines, such as those taught to me by Kan Cho at Sakura Kan Jiu Jitsu, and my other trainers to empower me both spiritually and physically and prepare me for this mission. Besides I couldn't let Lisa down.

I have never really been afraid of challenges, in fact the opposite is true in that they inspire me, again to my husbands dispair. This year I was going to do my own coast to coast, Napier to Cape Egmont, bagging as many tracks and ranges as I could. Then Lisa asked me to crew for her, well life is short, we should grasp challenges and opportunities that comes our way, so after much consideration and heaps of excitement I can step up to the challenge.

Employed as a Paramedic with the Taranaki District Health Board Ambulance Service, and as one of the Directors of Mobilize Care and Training, I am constantly reminded of the preciousness of life, the trials, tribulations and difficulties some experience such as those with challenged abilities. Hence it is a pleasure to be one of the main sponsors and affirms my commitment to Lisa, the team, and specifically those with a Spinal Cord Injury.

My other interests include the great outdoors, tramping, hunting, fishing, distance walking (Nordic) of which I have just learnt to "trot" (yes I gave up worrying about looking silly a long time ago!!), hard out gym sessions, Sakura Kan Jiu Jitsu, and I am a member of Taranaki Land SAR as a volunteer. I am lucky that I have the support of my family - well... in saying that my husband John thinks I am absolutely nuts (and he is probably right) and cant believe why anyone would want to run in a desert!! My biggest supporter is my son Cameron.

So... bring it on!