Jane Fardell made the trip to Sunday's Orange Running Festival viewing the marathon as simply a chance to blow-out the cobwebs.
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She returned home with the winner's trophy, having beaten her closest competitor to the line by almost half an hour.
It was a strong showing from the former Australian representative during what has been a frustrating time for so many involved in athletics.
An elite triathlete as well as a decorated long-distance runner, Fardell has had little chance to continue her career of racing all over the world in recent times due to the ongoing COVID pandemic.
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On top of having an injury to deal with last year, Fardell has seen countless events cancelled and others put on hold.
It left the Dubbo star to focus purely on training locally and finding whatever few events she can to compete in.
"I qualified for the Ironman World Championships in 2019 and they still haven't happened," Fardell said.
"My name is down for this year again but it's just whether these things go ahead or not.
"It's been a long time between drinks, that's for sure."
Fardell completed Sunday's 41km marathon in a tick over three hours at 3:03:03 while the second-placed woman, Laura Lincoln, was 29 minutes back in second.
Fardell's achievement was all the more impressive given she completed roughly four hours of training the day prior.
"I just went out the first 10kms controlled, like I was doing a Sunday run," she said.
"Then I just hit cruise control because I wouldn't mind doing a few more events in the near future. I didn't want to smash my body so I wasn't too concerned with the time.
"I used it as a training day, you could say."
While the Orange Running Festival was one of only a few which have gone ahead in recent times, there hasn't been any lack of motivation for Fardell.
Having been around athletics for much of her life and run for Australia at the 2013 IAAF World Championships, getting out and hitting the pavement is second nature for Fardell.
"It's just a habit for me. I've done it for so long so it's normal to just get up and go for a run in the morning," she said.
"That's the thing, I didn't do any specific training for this marathon. I did a block of training last year but then got injured so had to back off and I've just been doing long runs since the start of this year.
"There's no speed training or tempo work ... I just get up each morning and go for a run or do something each day so that consistent training pays off.
"Consistency is always the big key."
Fardell wasn't the only athlete from the Dubbo region to succeed at Orange on the weekend.
Paige Campbell, another Australian representative who hails from Warren, won the half-marathon by under a minute from Marina Wong.
Fardell now has her eye on a handful of triathlons in the coming months before hopefully competing at the iconic Ironman World Championships at Kona, Hawaii, in October.
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Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
