This Is One Inspirational Lady
This week we profile one of our fabulous clients, Kerrie Otto de Grancy, who has just completed a 100km ultra marathon, scored herself a spot on the Aussie team and landed 3 Australian Records! All in the name of charity...Kerrie Otto de Grancy is the kind of mother that leaves you inspired and in absolute awe. This busy mother of two made a promise to start raising awareness around the need for blood donations when her daughter was born premature and needed a huge 9 blood transfusions to save her life.If you’ve met Kerrie, you’ll know she never does things by halves. So when she decided to drum up blood pledges by having the media follow her journey as she completing her first 50km ultra-marathon in December 2012, nobody was surprised when she then went on to complete a 100km ultra-marathon in June this year and earned herself 3 Australian records in the process, landing herself a spot on the Australian team!Not only does Kerrie run for an incredible cause and give back through her charity Micro Miracles Matter (mmm for short), she also manages to squeeze everything she can out of life and be an amazing mother too.Here’s our chat with Kerrie about how she trained up for each of her runs, the great work she’s done with the red cross, what’s next on the agenda and of course, the little girl who inspired it all.
In under a year and with not a lot of distance events under your belt, you completed both a 50km and 100km ultra marathon, scored a spot on the Aussie team and landed 3 Australian Records! Tell us a bit about the kind of training you had to do to accomplish all this?
To be honest it was a lot of desire and focus, coupled with consistency of training and great nutrition. My schedule has to fit around my responsibilities as a mum and of course my other commitments, so I embrace whatever opportunity I can to get some miles into my legs.The majority of my training is done before the children even wake up, between 5 - 7.30am. A perfect training week would consist of 100km of road running, 1-2 interval or Tabata strength sessions, a few hill & stair sessions, or a sand run when possible, yoga 1-2 times per week and leading up to events, strength exercises recommended by my Physio.This is ideal but not always possible. As you can imagine, I need to manage my time really well to pull this off! I incorporate the children when possible, so even a visit to the zoo becomes a workout... I pop my 2-year-old son Phoenix in a carrier on my back and off we go. I’ve been known to do some grueling squat and lunge sessions with Phoenix strapped to my back!
What kind of mindset did you have to create to get through that 100km on race day?
I believe you have to have a really strong desire and a reason to do it. My goals entering any race are:
- Enjoy it
- Smile from start to finish
- Compete against my self and set my own targets, not worrying about everyone else
- Visualise the end before I even begin
Visualisation is key, along with reflection of past successes. I break the race down into 20km segments toward the beginning of each run, then as I close in on the finish line, I break it down further into 5km and 2km segments.I have a time in mind and do all it takes to stay on target. I also have a personal mantra that beats around my head like a broken record!Like anything in life, when you love something it makes it so much easier to do. I love running and when I am out listening to my music and letting the earth roll beneath my feet, I feel free and at peace.
Did you go into the race with a strategy?
Yes! To listen to my body, breathe through the discomfort, trust in my preparation, push my self through all barriers of discomfort and finish smiling.
What's your favourite part of the experience?
Great question! The entire journey, what you learn and the people you meet.The preparation teaches you so much as that requires day-in and day-out commitment.Then there’s the satisfaction that comes from setting a goal and not only reaching it, but exceeding it. For me this has certainly been the case. When raising the bar of your goals each time, it really can broaden your views on all aspects of life and open you up to all sorts of opportunities you never knew existed for you.
How did you feel when you found out you'd be donning the Aussie Green & Golds?
Totally confused! I had a dreamy notion 3 days prior that I would like to qualify but I had no idea of the qualifying time, or whether I was fast enough to make it.At the finish line, I felt relieved I’d never have to run 100km again, that I did my best on the day and ticked all the goals I’d set out to do. I felt proud that I’d accomplished something I regarded as really stretching myself physically in a way I’d never have considered only a year earlier.But the relief was very short lived as I realised making the Aussie team meant I’d be running another 100km and not only that, would be raising the bar yet again and setting new PBs!I now hold 3 Australian records that I need to beat. My drive will be my children and the honour that comes with representing my country.
How carefully did you have to plan your nutrition while doing so much training?
Fortunately this was easy for me, as I have always had a healthy lifestyle. I feel blessed to have this huge head start and have been exposed to so many great people, foods and opportunities to learn what works best for me and the most efficient way to fuel my body.I eat mostly raw foods, plus lots of fish, chicken 1-2 times per week, red meat once a fortnight, lots of eggs, seeds, super berries… dates are my weakness!I always prep my food and make a plan on a Sunday to ensure it's organised before the week begins. It takes preparation and discipline to sustain eating clean, healthy food all the time.
What would you say to other people who are too scared to try running? What got you started and how can they do the same?
Everything takes time, everything is a process. If running is something new to you it may feel uncomfortable. Always remember it is in our discomfort that the real change happens, this is when we often discover all sorts of possibilities.If you endure, pace yourself and set realistic goals, you will most likely fall in love with running. It is one thing almost every single person can do.Like anything in life, if you allow fear to hold you back then you get nowhere fast. Taking one foot and placing it in front of the other ensures you're moving… and action outweighs inaction every time.
What's next on the race calendar for you?
I have been asked to run the City2Surf as a Red Cross Blood Service Ambassador, followed by the Blackmores full marathon. But my key focus is the World Championships in South Africa on October 26, closely followed a week later by the NYC marathon, which I am doing to raise money for the Heart Foundation.
How critical is it that Aussies roll up their sleeves and give blood?
The demand for blood is constant. It’s alarming that 1 in 3 people need blood and only 1 in 30 donate. Over the next decade, the demand for blood and blood products is expected to double.In short, this means that by 2020 Australians will need to make more than 2.6 million donations a year, as opposed to the 1.3 million they made in the last 12 months. So it is not only critical we all donate but that we become REGULAR donors too.
Do you have specific goals for the amount of pledges you'd like your campaign to generate?
As many as possible. I will never know just how many that is. Tracking the amount of pledges made for donating blood acquired through my mmm efforts and Bella-angel’s story is very difficult.For me it is not a competition, or a number I need to reach, it’s simply about continuing to create awareness wherever I can.I get regular feedback from people who are donating, especially those doing it for the first time who are very proud, or have been encouraged by our campaign to face their greatest fear of needles, in order to contribute. This continues to inspire me.
What's the easiest way for people to step up, make the pledge and donate?
Follow this link to club red and enter the name Micro Miracles Matter into the organisation / group tab.