Finding her tribe - Sarah Bauer

The New Zealand trail running community is amazing, says Sarah Bauer. She is emphatic about that and has good reason to be. When Bauer moved to Auckland from Germany five years ago she knew no one. At home with a three month old baby, she felt isolated and in need of some like-minded friends.

Sarah is a runner from wayback and so she was quick to get out and explore the tracks around her new home in Devonport. It was running here with Mount Victoria on one side and the sea on the other that she fell into step with another runner.

“He was training a couple of people for a half marathon and he asked me if I would like to join them. So I did and I ended up running my first half marathon in Rotorua.”

Sarah says she never competed in Germany, “it’s very serious there and not fun at all. But here it is such a different experience. There is a much better spirit and culture which makes it really enjoyable.” The Rotorua Half Marathon, which weaves through Redwood Forest, was a real eye-opener for Sarah, she hadn’t really experienced trail running and says after that first experience, “I fell in love with it”.

She joined the Wild Things NZ Trail Running Club, where she found her tribe, and started to run ultra marathons. Her weekends now are about running adventures and exploring new trails, mostly in the Waitākere Ranges.

Sarah’s husband, Julian, not wanting to be left behind, decided to train for his own marathon recently and this is where the Bauer’s EarSHOTS best bluetooth headphones journey begins.

“I was thinking about a birthday gift for him. He is a neurologist and so he works a lot and he is often on call. Getting out on a run can be difficult, he has to take his phone and without good headphones it was a pain for him.”

Tangled cords and falling-out earbuds were slowing him down and so through her Wild Things club discount Sarah gifted him some EarSHOTS headphones.

“He loves them and I get to use them too. Having the right gear is really important. Headphones that fall out and are uncomfortable are inconvenient, you don’t want anything to distract you from enjoying your run.”

Sarah was never one for listening to music or podcasts while she ran but now they are a useful part of her training, “it makes it much more fun and time flies by.”

Sarah and Julian are heading to the South Island with their children for the summer break in their campervan and Sarah is looking forward to a whole heap of running while she is there.
“Running in New Zealand is an amazing adventure and so different from what I used to do in Germany. The environment here is amazing and just when I think I have run all the trails in my area I find a new one. Being part of the running community has been special and it has really helped with me feeling at home here.”

Through trail running Sarah has outrun feeling homesick for Germany and has found not just new trails but a tribe of friends along the way.