Later that same year, she competed in the 48hr Australian Championships, and despite it being her first 48-hour event, Scholz broke the Female Australian Record with a final tally just over 333km.
In December 2010 she ran in the 240km event Coast to Kosciuszko and broke the Women’s Race Record.
It’s truly not surprising that this ultra running rocket landed her the title of Australian Female Ultra Athlete of the Year as well as World Female Athlete of the Year (IAU).
Her list of achievements continued, despite 2011 not going to plan due to injuries and health issues. Scholz won the NZ 100kms Championships, broke three major track records (12hr, 150kms and 100mi) in Brisbane, and finished 3rd Female at the Coast to Kosciuszko.
The 100mi record she broke in Brisbane saw her become the first Australian female to break 16 hours for this milestone and in that race she broke records earlier established by, arguably, Australia’s three best ever female ultra-runners in Mary Morgan, Helen Stanger and Margaret Smith.
Smith’s 100mi record had stood since 1984.
She has since been again on the 24hr World Championships team for 2012 in Poland, completed Coast to Kosciuszko for the third time, and broke 12 records in 2013 during the 24hr event in Sydney as a walker following a distance of more than 187kms. It was the 3rd best ever distance walked in 24-hours in Australia.
It was also at that event that Scholz and her husband became the first married couple in history (worldwide) to have run 200kms+ and walked 100mi+ in 24 hours in the same calendar year.
“Every ultra event is an individual feat,” she says.
“We’re not competing directly against a specific person, yet we are also surrounded by camaraderie and the passion of others taking on the same challenge.
“Each runner is often surrounded by supporters and/or crew helping us achieve our best outcome for the day.
“What’s not to love about this sport?”
This weekend’s IAU 24hr Asia & Oceania Championships in Chinese Taipei will be Scholz’s 10th selection and 9th participation, and despite her incredibly impressive resume, she still gets those butterflies in her stomach.
“It was nervous excitement when I got the call that I’d made the 2018 team,” she reveals.
“I thought I should be over that feeling of anticipation, but it really never goes.”
Scholz will be racing alongside her Australian team mates at the 2018 IAU 24hr Asia and Oceania Championships in Chinese Taipei the weekend of December 1-2.
Pictured: Sharon Scholz. Photographs – Supplied.
