What started as a way to lose a little baby weight, has turned into a passion.
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Gloucester's Karin 'Kaz' Tappouras loves to run a marathon, some much so, that she runs one every weekend.
She took part in her first 42.2 kilometre event, the standard distance of a marathon, when she was 33-years-old and was hooked. It was the Sydney Blue Line in 2000 and it was after having her third child.
"It was a way to regain my fitness, and to prove to myself that I could do it," Kaz smiled.
She trained for 12 months ahead of the event and was a bit nervous when she rocked up to the start line.
"It's a big thing to run 42k," Kaz said.
But what she got out of it was far more that she expected. For Kaz, running a marathon is a personal journey and a way of cleansing her mind, body and soul; a chance to reconnect with the world around her.
"It doesn't get easier even though I do it every weekend," she admitted. "But I love it."
She didn't start off running every weekend, that's something that picked up in the last five years or so.
Over the past 20 years of running, Kaz has achieve a long list of goals, including holding the Australian female record for the most marathons finished in 2016 after completing 67 that year, and becoming a member of the Australian 100 Marathon Club, when she finished the Port Loop Coastal Marathon on December 18, 2016. Less than two years later she cracked the 200 mark on November 25, 2018 when she crossed the finish line at the Run For The Young Marathon.
Recently, she completed what is known by club members as an Anzac Sweep, which involves completing one marathon per State and territory in Australian plus one on both islands of New Zealand.
She was able to mark that off her bucket list after completing the ASB Auckland Marathon on October 20. The Auckland event was her 223rd marathon.
But for Kaz, it's not about the accolades, it's about the achievement, meeting new people, catching up with old friends, having fun and treating every run like an adventure.
"It's the mystery of each marathon and not knowing what you're going to get," Kaz smiled.
And she stays tuned into what's happening throughout each event, often chatting with fellow runners during the event; never listening to music.
"I don't want to miss anything," she laughed; even though she knows from experience that the conversation beings to lag around the the 25km mark.
"That's when is starts to hurt. The talking stops and the business end beings."
So Kaz will finish the rest of the run enjoying the scenery, appreciating life and the world around her.
Talking to Kaz it's easy to see her passion for marathons, and as she retells the stories of her many adventures, she will occasionally mention some of her other running exploits; taking place in parkruns whenever she can, wherever she can, the occasional half marathons or ultra marathons.
A parkrun offers a different challenge for her, being a much shorter distance.
"Five kilometres hurts more than a marathon; it brings out my competitive side," she laughed.
Whereas the ultra marathon, which is anything longer than a marathon, can entail running for more than 24 hours; running all night long.
"Marathons are training for an ultra," she explained.
Each year she sets a goal for herself in regard to what events she wants to complete and how many she'll undertake. This year, it was to do one ultra, 30 marathons and a couple of 50km events. In June, she ran Brisbane Valley Rail Trail 100, meaning 100 miles (160kms).
This self-proclaimed 'adventure girl', will often run events back to back, like seven in seven (seven marathons in seven days), three in three or 10 in 10.
"It's a specialty of mine," she said.
So, what's her secret to a swift recovery after a run - milk. Yep, plain, old-fashion, full cream cow's milk. Around the marathon circuit, she's known as the girl chugging a litre of milk within 10 minutes of crossing the line.
"I read about the benefit of drinking milk straight after and I need the best recovery," Kaz explained.
Downing the refreshing beverage is as much a part of her end of race routine as laughing, cheering and doing a little dance.
"I'm happy," she said about about she feels when it's all over.
A few months ago, Kaz moved to Gloucester after falling in love with the place.
"I wanted to find a peaceful place to live," Kaz said.
She came across Gloucester on a journey from Forster, where she had been living, to Sydney for an event. She'd organised to look at a house, took one step inside, and had bought it by the time she's reached 12 mile intersection of the Bucketts Way and the Pacific Highway. Not only does she find the region beautiful, but it's the best place for her to train, offering a range of landscapes including quiet back roads and lots of hills.
"It's the best thing I've ever done. Should have done it years ago," Kaz smiled.
She can often be seen jogging around the region, with her headphones on and a water bladder strapped to her back.
"I can disappear for hours."