SINCE 2017, when Portland’s Kay Antony was bitten by the running bug, she has run the equivalent of 260 marathons – around 11,000km.

She has completed marathons and ultramarathons around Australia and this year was all set to compete in the Boston marathon. It was the first time she had qualified for one of the six World Marathon Majors.

But that dream is now on hold for the moment. Crutches and a knee scooter have replaced the Nike Vaporflys.

Last November, Ms Antony ran the Portland 3 Bays ultramarathon – 60km of hard trail – backed up the next day with the 3 Bays 42k road marathon. A month later she had entered the 25km race in the GC50 on the Gold Coast. But she didn’t know she had a lurking stress fracture and broke her left fibula during the race; she limped to the finish line.

“I was oblivious to how bad it was, I thought it was a soft tissue injury and didn’t want to go to hospital,” she said. “But it was incredibly painful, so my family insisted I go and they discovered the injury.

“I was told I couldn’t run for 16 weeks. I did a return-to-run program and strength-building exercises, only to discover I’ve got a stress fracture in my left tibia (shinbone) that has progressed and ligament damage that must have happened when I broke my fibula, so now I can’t run for at least another eight weeks.

“It was gut-wrenching to miss the Boston marathon and now I’ve had to pull out of the Sydney marathon.

“I keep thinking, I haven’t got a cancer diagnosis, it could be so much worse, it’s frustrating but I’m not dying. I can mend and will be back running with a vengeance!”

To aid her recovery, she swims 1km in Portland’s heated pool a few times a week and does strength exercises.

And with the help of sports medicine professionals, she’s rethinking her game plan.

“I think my left leg rolls in a little bit, it seems to have happened when I introduced speed to my running a year ago.”

Because of her injury, Ms Antony has stepped back from her volunteer roles with the Cashmore CFA and Portland SES, but continues apace with her involvement in the running community: park runs in Portland each Saturday and around the region; Port Fairy marathon; Grampians Grape Escape; Run for the Kids;  and the recent winter solstice fun run in Portland.

When she can’t compete, she volunteers.

“Volunteering has been a big part of my life for a long time,” she said. “When I was married and raising five kids, and living on a dairy farm in Cashmore, we fostered children.

“I loved foster caring at the time, it slotted in well with farm life, and my business obligations as well as raising my own family. One of the children came to live with us as a newborn is still part of the family to this day.”

With the current shortage of foster carers in Glenelg Shire, she encourages others to consider fostering.

“If you live a stable life and are fortunate enough to be in a position to offer fostering, I would say go for it. You just need to be a caring person and have the desire to help others.”

Ms Antony’s children are adults now, her sons still living in Portland while her daughters are in Geelong and Wagga, so there are plenty of road trips away these days, she says.

“Being a mother has been the most rewarding role. I’m a proud mumma of all my children. I could talk about them all day!”

 She is still involved with the Cashmore farm but in a different role. “I have a share farmer running it for me these days which leaves me time to follow other interests.”

Life usually revolves around running for the 51-year-old.

“I enjoy going away parkrun touristing with family and friends. I love a good adventure.  Geocaching if often part of the adventure. Throw in the swag and off we go.

As well as being event director for Portland parkrun, Ms Antony is also a parkrun ambassador for Hamilton, Port Fairy, Mount Gambier, Naracoorte Lake and Lake Wallace parkruns, which involves supporting their events teams.

“Portland is great for running as it not too hot and we have amazing trails to run on. I love the community and the connections that I have here.

“I’m really, really looking forward to getting back out on the trails again and enjoying the freedom of running.

“I really hope to do the Boston marathon next year and one day, all of the Majors: London, Tokyo, Chicago, New York and Berlin.

“Once I am fully recovered, look out world!”