Derby woman completes bid to run length of New Zealand

Emma Timmis completed the run in 20 days, 17 hours and 17 minutes

A woman who ran the length of New Zealand said she was enjoying a well-earned rest after covering 1,300 miles (2,100km) in just under three weeks.

Emma Timmis, originally from Oakwood in Derby, left Cape Reinga on 18 December and finished in Bluff on 7 January.

The 37-year-old - who is raising money for mental health charities in New Zealand and the UK - thanked supporters for backing her effort.

She said she hopes to turn her adventure into a children's book.

Emma Timmis said people across New Zealand came out to show their support

Ms Timmis, who moved to the country six years ago and lives in Kaiapoi in Canterbury, was assisted in her efforts by a three-strong support squad and a campervan.

She said she had received strong backing from friends and family in the UK, as well as from New Zealanders as she crossed the country.

"The whole of New Zealand has been supportive," she said.

"People have been honking their horns and coming out of their homes.

"It's been amazing to see so much support and love."

An experienced athlete, Ms Timmis ran 1,500 miles across South Africa in 2011 and crossed the whole of the continent three years later.

This time she faced an added hurdle in the form of unseasonably warm weather, with temperatures at one point topping out at 43C (109.4F).

"It was ridiculously hot, way hotter than expected," she said.

"I was pouring a lot of water on myself to keep cool."

A week on from completing her mission Ms Timmis is still recuperating, though serious injuries from the arduous run appear to have been avoided.

"There's been a lot of resting and eating - I haven't been able to do much else," she said.

Ms Timmis will need to get her time verified before it can become a new world record

With the current Guinness World Record for the fastest crossing of New Zealand on foot standing at 35 days and 27 minutes in 2020, Ms Timmis hopes her new time, once verified, will set a new mark and be "the icing on the cake".

It would be the second record she holds, the first set in 2017 when she made the longest journey on an elliptical bicycle in one country.

She also aims to add to the thousands raised for mental health charities YoungMinds and Youthline.

As for any attempt to run for home, Covid has delayed what could be an emotional return to Derby.

"I would absolutely love to come home to visit - it's been a while - but unfortunately the pandemic's put an end to that for now," she said.