Simone has always had a passion for fitness, and during her younger years was involved with dance, netball, swimming, horse riding, water skiing and pretty much anything that involved being outdoors. That is except for running. She HATED running! She’d do anything to get out of it at school and pretty much avoid it at all costs. It was just too hard and required too much energy. Kind of ironic hey? Given that now running Ultra-marathons is her biggest passion next to her family and business!
Simone started running as a means to lose weight and fit into her wedding dress in 1996, and it just evolved from there as a means to keep the weight off and maintain a bit of fitness. She still didn’t actually ‘enjoy’ it.
After working for 15 years in sales and marketing in the Coffee Roasting/Hospitality Industry, and having two children, being happily married and living in Gymea Bay, she decided to make her love of fitness and training outdoors a career, and made the change and started Energy Fitness. That was in 2005……………
Now, alongside training many people daily in outdoor group fitness sessions, and helping to make people of the Shire fitter, healthier and more confident, she also has a love of running which she took up rather flippantly in 2010. Finding the trails was what sparked the love of running, and after mentioning to her physio (as she was ironically injured) that she didn’t mind the ‘odd bit of trail running’ and liked to head down to the Honeymoon Stairs occasionally, ther physio who was also a trail runner suggested she try The North Face 100. Yeah, right. 100km she said. I’ve never run a marathon let alone 2.5 of them. But this person, who is now a good friend, was persistent. So somehow the entry form was completed and training began. And it was grueling. Half Marathons on the road were about the extent of her experience and she was mediocre at that too, so this was a whole new ballgame. Fast forward to race day and Simone completed her first 100km trail run. She was never doing it again, until the next day………
Trail running is now more than a hobby, it’s a passion and a huge part of her life and she hopes to inspire many more people to embrace the sport. Countless 100km trail races later and many other events including road and track ultras, it’s fair to say that she’s hooked! Simone has been on the Committee of AURA, the Australian Ultra Runners Association since 2020, is a Level 3 Performance & Development Coach (Trail & Ultra Running), has an online coaching platform Energy Fitness Running as well as maintaining her busy outdoor fitness business. She has represented Australia in 24 Hour Track running, finished Coast 2 Kosci 240km Ultramarathon and ran Western States Endurance Run 100 miler in the US in 2022 amongst other achievements. But her biggest achievement is seeing the growth of the sport and being involved in fostering ultra running in Australia via her coaching and seeing her clients achieve their goals.
AURA Committee Member (Treasurer since 2020 and elected President in 2023)- Australian Ultra Runners Association
Qualifications
Level 3 Personal Trainer (10+ Years Experience) – registered with Fitness Australia 10+ years experience. Click Here for Fitness Australia Registration & Insurance details.
Level 3 Performance & Development Coach – Trail and Ultramarathon – Athletics Australia Accredited Coach
Specialisations: Cert 3 Gym Instructor, Cert 4 Personal Trainer, Level 3 Running Coach, Older Adults Instructor, Outdoor Group Training, Group Exercise (Freestyle), Personal Trainer, Clinical Exercise Prescription, Running , Trail Running (5km-Ultra Marathon, up to 100miles) , Ultra Marathons.
Lecturer Cert 3 & 4 in Personal Training at Australian College
Up to date First Aid & CPR Qualifications
Thump Boxing – Level 1, Level 2, Advanced Boxing For Fitness, Super Kickbox,
Fitball Essentials
Polar Fitness Heart Rate Zone Training
Nutrition for Exercise and Sport – Sports Dietitians Australia
Australian & NZ Annual Weight Loss Leaders Summit – Australian Institute of Weight Loss Consultants
Multiple Industry Related Courses
Sporting Interests
Running – Road
Coast 2 Kosci Ultramarathon Dec 2020 – 240km – 33h11m, 5th Female, 13th Overall
Bondi 2 Manly Ultra 80km November 2022 – 8h41m, 7th Female
Multiple Blackmore’s and SMH Half Marathons, Mudgee, Sutherland Half, Melbourne Marathon and more
Melbourne Marathon
Multiple 5 & 10+km races such as Sutherland to Surf, Mothers Day Classic, Brighton Dash etc
Mother’s Day Classic 8km 1st age, 5th overall 2013. 1st age, 12th overall 2016
Running – Track
CBR48 2019 – 12 Hour Race – 2nd Female, 5th Overall, 113.4km
Sri Chinmoy 24 Hours On Track 2019 – 2nd Female, 5th Overall, 198.4km
Australian Representative, 24 Hour World Championships, Albi, France October 2019, 201.456km, 3rd Australian Female
Australian 24 Hour Track Invitational – Canberra, July 2020
Sri Chinmoy Canberra Track Running Festival March 2021 – 6 Hour – 1st Overall, 66.613km
Southern Sydney Ultra June 2021 – 6 hour – 2nd Fem, 3rd Overall, 66.106km
Trail Running
100 Mile
Western States Endurance Run USA – 100 Miles 2022 . 24th Female, 25h31m
GNW 100miler – 2018 175kms, 31h14 (6th Female)
Coast kms 4 C2K December 2018 (unofficial Fatass after C2K was cancelled) – 162km, 26hours
50-100km
Noosa Ultra Trail – Hinterland Traverse 80km 2023 – 2nd Place Female, 6th overall 9h23m
The North Face 100km – 2011, 2012, 2013, (UTA100) 2014, 2017, 2019, 2021. PB 13:31 2021 14th female
Sri Chinmoy Canberra Trail Ultra 100km – 2013 (2nd Place Female 12hr15m)
Wild Endurance 100km – 2015 – 1st Place Team Overall, 1st Place Female Team and 1st Place 50km
Tarawera Ultra Marathon NZ – 2016 103km – 14hr32min
GNW100km 2014 – (Entered 100miler, DNF’d at 100km due to injury)
Elephant Trail Race 108km – 2018 – 1st Place Female, 9th Overall
Coast 2 Kosci 240km 2016 – Paced 110+km and crewed to a 42hour finish. Entered in 2018 race that was cancelled 🙁
Noosa Trail Ultra 100km 2022 – Pulled out at 65km after suffering post-covid complications
40-50km
6ft Track 45km – 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017 (sub 5 hours)
Glenbrook Trail Marathon – 2013 (3rd Female)
Mount Solitary Ultra 45km – 2014 (8th), 2018 (9th), 2019 Women’s Relay Team 1st Place
Glow Worm Tunnel Trail Marathon – 2014, 2016 (1st in age/5th overall), 2018 (1st in age/5th Overall)
Jabulani Trail Race 45km April 2016 – (2nd Place Female)
Buffalo Stampede Marathon 2019, 6th place female, 1st AG 6h02m
Tassie Trail Fest 2019 – 44km 1st Place Female, 22km, 1st Place Female
20-39km
INOV8 Coastal Classic 2011, 2012, 2013 (3rd in age/10th overall), 2015, 2016 (3rd in age/9th overall)
Bouddi Coastal Classic 2017
King Of the Mountain 32km 2012
Royal Challenge Audley 2013 (2nd Place Mixed Team), 2018 (2nd Place Mixed Team)
Wentworth Falls 16km – 2014 (4th place Female), 2023 – 2nd Place Female
PaceUTA22km 2016 – 6th age, 12th overall
Rafferty’s Coastal Run 35km 2015, 2016
Bilpin Bush Run Long Course 2017 – 31km – 4th place Female
Sydney Trail Series Manly Dam 2018 – Series Age Group Winner Long Course
Sydney Trail Series 2021 Manly Dam February – 3rd Female 21km
Sydney Trail Series Manly Dam May 2021 – Long Course 30km, 1st Female
UPCOMING EVENTS 2022/2023:
Southern Sydney 24 Hour Track, June.
Travelling to Switzerland for trail running tour – 7 days 170km and 10,000m elevation, August
Lonely Mountain Ultra 100km , October
Coast 2 Kosci 240km, December
Adventure Racing
Great Adventure Challenge 2011 – took four teams of 8 from Energy Fitness to compete – placed 1st, 2nd, 6th and 23rd.
Kathmandu Adventure Series Audley 2012, 2013, 2014. – Energy Fitness was the major team contributor to all events with around 25 teams entered.
Mountain Biking
Very average at this but learning if I can stay on the bike!
Short Circuit Cancer 6 Hour relay 2013
3 Ring Circus in July 2014
