16: Vanessa Wilson, the PE teacher from the outer burbs who just ran 2:28 at Berlin Marathon

Vanessa Wilson describes herself as a mum and PE teacher from the outer burbs of Melbourne who likes to run. But Vanessa is seriously downplaying her ability – perhaps because she’s genuinely shocked by how far her running has come.

She’s almost unwittingly just become the 13^th fastest Australian woman marathoner of all time, running 2:28:34 at Berlin Marathon this year, which she achieved after breaking her wrist at the 2km mark of the race! This is such an inspiring conversation for anyone chasing big goals while juggling family, work and life. Vanessa's advice: 1. Be consistent; 2. Don't do too much; and 3. Listen to your body.

With a background as a Body Pump instructor and an AFL boundary umpire, Vanessa, 42, had little exposure to the running world until 2017. After the birth of her daughter Anja, she started jogging to regain fitness, encouraged by her husband (and coach) who was a former elite athlete. Her first running goal was to break 25 minutes at Parkrun, which she did sooner than expected. She joined Glenhuntly Athletics Club and had natural speed, finding love for the 1500m and breaking the 5-minute barrier that year. Her Parkrun times continued to come down and by the end of 2018 she had broken 20 minutes.  

The foundations for marathon training were built during Covid when Vanessa had time to add more running load, including a long run. She made her marathon debut in 2021, running 2:40:20 at Melbourne Marathon. In 2022, she ran 2:39:52 at Melbourne and set a new Victorian Masters W40 record in the 1500m. In 2023, she made a big breakthrough, running 2:34:36 in Berlin, before bettering her PB with a 2:31:45 in Hannover earlier this year. Watch this space! 

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Vanessa's instagram: @vanessateacherrunner

Run With It instagram: @runwithit.pod

Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom

Graphic design by Kate Scheer