Woman’s Weekly New Zealand – September 02, 2019

“

STEPHMARSHALL(25)

IS A HORSE-MAD

ENVIRONMENTAL

SCIENTISTAND

ULTRA-MARATHON

RUNNER

Stephbecame
interestedin
horsesafter
volunteering
forRidingfor
the Disabled.

Asateenager,

shewentfrom

hatingPEto

gettingaPE

scholarship

to university.

ULTR

I

ma

on

30 New Zealand Woman’s Weekly

Quick-fire:

Yourtopthreedinnerpartyguests?

SirDavidAttenborough–asachildIgrewup

watchinghimandwasinspiredtogetintoscience

asaresult.CamilleHerron–oneofthemost

unconventional,enduringandbraveultra-marathon

runners.AndNFLplayerMichaelOher–wecould

alllearnfromhisspirit,kindnessandperseverance.

Oneitemyouwouldneverbewithout?

MyNespressomachine.Itturnsmeintoahuman

againeverymorning.I’msuchacoffeesnobthat

ItookmyowntoNepalandgenuinelydonot

functionwithoutatleastthreestrongcoffeesaday.

Thebestpieceofadviceyou’vehad?

Fromacareercoach:“Youcan’thealin the same

environment that made you sick.”

I

wasoneofthosekidswho

wouldfakenotesfromtheir

parentstogetoutofPE.

WhenI wasabout 16 – thisis

tragic– wehadtheoptionof

eitherdoingstraightPEor

health,ora combination.All

thegood-lookingguyswere

in thefirstXVandweredoing

thepurePE,sothatwasmy

motivationtotakethatclass.

Funnilyenough,I thengot

a PE scholarship to Otago

University,whereI dida degree

in humanskeletalanatomy.

Mypost-graddegreeis in

humangenetics,andI nowwork

asanenvironmentalscientist,

studyingthechemistryofour

drinkingwatertoensureit’s

safeforhumanconsumption,

whichis a bitofa leftturn.

I didmyfirstCoasttoCoast

whenI was18.Myoldman–

RobMarshall– haddoneit

about 10 times,sotheplan

wastohavea bitofa father-

daughterthinggoing,andit

wentfromthere.I’ddothe

mountainrunontheFriday

andcrewforDadonthelongest

dayontheSaturday.I’vecome

seconda lot,butlastyearI won

boththeopenwomen’sandmy

age group, and Dad took out

How

I live...

on Everest