Every Saturday morning Sarah-Jane Bonner and her daughter Izzy travel 124 kilometres to train for the Dubbo Stampede.
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The family lives 62 kilometres away from their nearest parkrun in Tamworth but they make the trek every Saturday to build up their fitness for the Cheetah Chase.
The mother and daughter competed in the Dingo Dash last year. Before the race, Izzy said the next time she wanted to double the distance and take part in the 10 kilometre event.
"I think I had mixed feelings at the start. I thought there was a good chance she's say 'let's downgrade to the Dingo Dash'. But she's very determined," Ms Bonner said.
"I'm confident she'll run it and run it well. I'm starting to get concerned I won't be able to keep up."
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Ms Bonner caught the running bug after having her four kids. At her first Stampede in 2015 she took on the Zebra Zoom half marathon.
Since then, she's only missed one year because she was competing in a marathon in Adelaide and couldn't get back in time.
Now, her daughter Izzy is joining in.
As well as the five kilometre parkrun, on Monday mornings the duo do a long, slow run and then on Wednesdays they do interval training.
"She's loving it. Obviously being one of four it's also been a really good way to have a one-on-one time together. It's always really nice in a big family to have something you can do individually with your kids," Ms Bonner said.
However, getting up when it's barely light out, in the middle of winter has definitely been a challenge.
Thinking about their names being called out as they cross the finish line at Taronga Western Plains Zoo- and the family who will be cheering them on - has been part of the motivation to keep them going.
Izzy's nine-year-old brother will also be taking part in the Stampede.
He's going in the 5.3 kilometre Dingo Dash with a family friend who had both hips replaced. It'll be the longest distance she's ever run.
"The thing that's so appealing about Dubbo's festival is that you get the added bonus of the zoo. Where else can you run with animals? And the way they set the event up so you also get your entry into the zoo as well as the entry fee, I think that's fantastic," Ms Bonner said.
After last year's rainy run, Ms Bonner said she was hoping for a "lovely, fine day" this year with "lots of giraffes and zebras looking at us".
The Dubbo Stampede will be held on August 25. To register for a race or to find out more information head to the Dubbo Stampede website.
Registration close on Friday, August 23.
Orlander Ruming
Deputy editor at the Daily Liberal, covering council, politics, human interest stories, community news and everything in between.
Deputy editor at the Daily Liberal, covering council, politics, human interest stories, community news and everything in between.
