In 2008, Fleur Pawsey went into the Longest Day as defending champion. It was always shaping as a tight race. 2006 champion Emily Miazga was on the start line, along with serial podium loiterers Rachel Cashin and Anna Berthelsen.

For Pawsey, going toe to toe with the other women wasn’t the only battle she faced with some scrambled thoughts also rattling around inside her own head. “I’ve thought about the psychology behind this so much. I think in 2008 I felt the pressure of trying to prove that 2007 wasn’t a fluke, but at the same time I didn’t really know how I’d won and didn’t think I could do it again.”

For the average weekend warrior and those who have followed the race for many years, it’s hard to believe but, Pawsey simply didn’t consider herself to be an athlete. “Through school I wasn’t sporty and I never won things, so as I developed as a multisporter, I always had feelings of Imposter Syndrome. I loved the outdoors, the endurance and the pain of pushing for so long.  I guess I did realise that as I started getting results I was at the faster end of the sport, but I was still puzzled as to how I got there.”

The first half of the day saw the leading contenders trading positions as the race unfolded, with the defending champion eventually taking the lead on the water between Woodstock and The Gorge Bridge. But it was before this point that the first of the post race “what if’s” kicked in. “There was an opportunity to short cut one of the bends in the river. The advice was that the river was a bit low so take the long route. As it turned out, plenty did successfully take the short cut. There were a few minutes there and that’s where I consider I lost the race- not the final bike ride. Poor decision making”.

There were other earlier glitches. Coming out of the mountain run, her support crew didn’t double check the bento box on the top tube of her bike, thinking that there was food in there. There wasn’t, and a chance to refuel on the ride to Mt White Bridge was lost. Pawsey admits to a few tears, but the stress only increased when she reached Mount White to start the kayak stage. Her boat wasn’t where she expected and her food wasn’t set up in the way she had planned with the support crew. As it turned out, a very enthusiastic sponsor and keen Multisport fan looked at other setups and decided Fleur’s could do with some tweaking. The crew looked a little sheepish. “I couldn’t be mad at the sponsor given the financial support he’d given me, but a couple of weeks after the race I got an apology card with a $200 restaurant voucher. He felt terrible after he realised what he’d done”.

As a broadcaster covering the race, the final leg can often be a bit of a procession to the finish line in New Brighton, or as in the earlier days, Sumner Beach. This race was anything but a procession. There’s very little information on the course for competitors, so the splits that we shout at the riders can either drive them to dig deeper, or perhaps mentally break them! The feeling of déjà vu wasn’t a welcome one for Fleur Pawsey. “It wasn’t much fun being in front and I was wondering how is this happening again?” 

The sunburned Canterbury Plains eventually gave way to the city as Sumner Beach edged ever closer. But also edging closer from behind was Emily Miazga. The ebullient friendly expat Canadian is a fearsome competitor- a whole different personality on the racecourse. If Pawsey and Miazga were boxers, Fleur would attempt to win with an ongoing series of point scoring jabs, whereas Miazga would look for the big knockout in the middle rounds. On this occasion, the knockout came just before the final bell. “I vividly remember you in the Newstalk ZB car calling splits and encouraging me, and there was also a woman who I didn’t know who kept leapfrogging me in her car who was sort of doing the same”. Of course, in the car, we were also calling splits to the chasers, and you could clearly see Emily Miazga getting stronger as she heard the gap narrowing.

The eventual pass with swift and brutal. Miazga pedalled past the defending champion at Barnett Park in Redcliffs, a shade under two kilometres from the finish line. So, it was title number two for Miazga with Pawsey a mere 43 seconds adrift. Completing the drama in third place was Rachel Cashin who was only another two minutes back.

There was much excitement at the finish line after such a close finish to the women’s race and it was hard not to get caught up in the hype. But after the cheers faded, the then Wellington based Pawsey had time to reflect. “I just felt so flat and there were a few tears. We went back to the acrid motel room and went over the details of the day.   I don’t remember much about the prize giving or anything from the next day. But I do remember that night getting fish and chips and they were revolting- a shit end to the day!”

Pawsey again finished second in 2012, this time behind Elina Ussher. Ironically, on this occasion, Emily Miazga was a part of her support crew! In 2017, after ongoing struggles with knee issues, the now veteran racer was a late call-up to the team which took out the World Adventure Racing Champs in Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean. A great way to underline a fantastic career ! These days, it’s all about running for Fleur. “I did the Old Ghost Ultra in February and really loved it, so I’m going to do it again”.

Always understated, Pawsey says she’s not particularly competitive these days, but just enjoys being in the outdoors with other like-minded people. The memories of 2008 are still there, but it’s more of a curiosity from a sports psychology point of view. “It certainly wasn’t defining for me. But who knows? If I’d won again, I might’ve got even more worked up in future races still wondering how on Earth I’d finished in first place!” 

Understated but certainly not an under performer- one of the finest and most consistent athletes in the long and colourful history of the Kathmandu Coast to Coast.