Kingi and her midwifery partner - Hamilton mother of two Sarah Power - began running together. It is not out of the ordinary for fulltime working mothers to train for a marathon, but Power speaks with pragmatism about their unusual occupational challenges. "We are always on call, so we run with our phones and it is not unusual to have to stop in the middle of a run and give advice over the phone," she says. "We can't schedule our runs because we never know when we will be able to get out - so we just run when we can, and that is often in the evening when our husbands are home to look after the kids. When we can manage it, Angela and I have our meetings on the run.
"The hardest challenge is lack of sleep. We might get in a long three-hour run, then have a client go into labour and spend the next 12 hours on our feet. I hear parents use sleep as an excuse not to exercise and it makes me angry."
Power and Kingi signed up for the 2014 Rotorua half marathon and, under Armstrong's careful conditioning, they completed the 21.1km in two hours - just 12 weeks after they started running. Armstrong had a revelation of her own. "I watched these two incredible women who just set their mind to a goal and then do it - I'm in awe of how they balance everything. Even though life is obviously difficult, they make it happen - and they do it with a smile. They inspired me to run my first marathon at Rotorua in 2014."
The midwives were hooked, and Power immediately turned her sights to the full 42.2km marathon distance.
"I started the Facebook page Mother, Midwife, Marathoner - and maybe Madwoman. I thought if I made myself socially accountable then failing wasn't an option - and the way to do that was to tell the world I was going to run a marathon. Once it was out there, I couldn't give up."
With a half marathon under her belt, Kingi was similarly excited by the next level of challenge. "Suddenly it seemed like the ultimate goal was to go from nothing, to running a full marathon. People asked us if we were crazy - and that just made it more challenging."
Kingi's husband is supportive of her training though is protective of her health. "If I'm shattered, he will suggest I don't run, but I can be pretty stubborn."
When her husband learned of Kingi's plan to run the full marathon in 2015, he was less than pleased: the couple were in the throes of organising their own wedding later in the year, and had two small children to look after.
Kingi said: "So I said 'Oh well I will keep training and just see how I go'. Of course we ran the full distance. Then I kept running to stay trim for our wedding. Then it just evolved into a passion."
Training for any endurance event pushes the athlete into a cycle of soreness and fatigue as muscles tear and rebuild stronger to cope with the stress of training. SLE means Kingi is frequently plagued with joint soreness and fatigue before she even puts on her running shoes; incredibly, she does not let that dissuade her from pursuing her goals.
She talks about the "bad" days, when the lupus fights for domination. "Some days I am so tired and sore, and pushing myself out for a run is the last thing I want to do. But Sarah and I have a saying - we are going to 'run this lupus out of me'. I can't let this thing take hold of me - I won't let it stop me doing what I want to do."
Power is equally passionate about her relationship with running. "I've finally got to the point that I love running, it's part of who I am. I wonder how I got here - to this place of euphoria between the sweat, tears, tantrums, injuries and sleepless nights. I started with a goal to run a marathon - now I'm a running addict. I enter events to see other parts of the country, spend time with other people who get a buzz from running and it keeps me focused."
The women have a series of events lined up, including one very special event for Power. "My sister is not fit, but she is supportive of my running - she and her three children flew up from Kaikoura and surprised me during the Rotorua marathon. We lived in Rotorua as kids and she was standing on the corner of our old street as we ran past," Power said proudly: "She went home and signed up for the Kaikoura Whale Run early September - a 10km run that supports the local school. Angela and I are going down to run it in support with her."
Later in September, Power will run the Kinloch Offroad Challenge. The two women continue building towards the Hamilton half marathon and Auckland half marathon, and Kingi will complete the run leg of the Iron Maori as part of a team. November, the duo line up for Hamilton Round the Bridges - Power has signed up as a registered charity runner for the Mental Health Foundation NZ. Kingi is adamant mosts New Zealanders have an obligation to themselves and their families to be healthy, fit and active.
Kinloch Offroad
• What: Marathon, half marathon, quarter marathon, 5km off-road run.
• When: Saturday, September 5
• Where: Kinloch, Waikato
• For more information: http://kinlochoffroadchallenge.co.nz/
