Zoe Daniel (Goldstein, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

():  On 14 January this year, ultramarathon runner, scientist and mother Donna Urquhart crossed the finish line in Antarctica to set a world record for the longest run in a polar region. She ran an average of 50 kilometres per day over 28 days to reach 1,402 kilometres, eclipsing Pat Farmer's achievement of 1,200 kilometres.

Her mission began during the pandemic in 2021, when she asked herself: 'What is possible for humans? What is possible for women? Can we run in a polar region and, if so, how far?' Over the following two years, a team of 15 volunteers developed, including a local physio, Anthony Lance, and they worked incredibly hard to help Donna set foot in Antarctica and to prepare her to face the real dangers of running in a polar region. At the core of this preparation were the training approaches they pioneered, from training on a treadmill in a refrigerated shipping container at minus 10 for four hours at a time, to running in an industrial wind tunnel at wind speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour.

But nothing fully prepares you for running an ultramarathon each day in the coldest, windiest and driest desert on earth. On arrival, Donna was overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenge and the hostile conditions, bitterly cold temperatures of below minus 20 degrees Celsius, howling winds of up to 80 kays per hour and poor visibility. She was afraid, and her confidence wavered. But the transformation over the next 10 days was profound. As she said to me:

You don't need to know you can do it. You need to try. I put myself out there—and moved through the fear, the doubt, the pain, the resistance.

Donna's next mission is to address the alarmingly high dropout rate of girls in community sport. Research supports the fact that very few differences exist between the participation patterns and attitudes of boys and girls under the age of 12. However, as girls mature there are social and cultural considerations that impact upon their decision to participate in sport during adolescence.

Recent Australian Sports Commission data shows that only 32 per cent of girls aged 15-plus play sport at least once per week. There are many reasons why girls stop: lack of confidence, body image issues, social stereotyping, sexism, harassment, lack of female role models and a lack of access to appropriate and affordable facilities. This is why I'm fighting for better facilities at sporting clubs in Goldstein, including the Sandringham Football Club. Girls should have the same opportunities, pathways and facilities as boys in sport—full stop!

I'll finish with these words from Donna:

At 'Run Antarctica', we believe that sport has the power to change lives. That's why we're on a mission to empower young girls and women to love and discover what's possible for them in sport.

I'm proud to call Donna a Goldstein constituent.

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