Running Sisters | Teresa Lloyd-Masters

Nov 12, 2020

In the coming weeks, the stories of the Running Sisters community will be shared in the Riverine Herald.

Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content

These stories tell the journey of local people and how they became involved in running — from the elite to the occasional.

TERESA Lloyd-Masters, 47, has been running since her early 20s when Mick, who is now her husband, encouraged her to give running a go.

Teresa continues to run every other day.

She especially loves their weekly family parkrun activity (she’s looking forward to parkrun starting again) and family holidays to the Gold Coast for the annual Gold Coast Marathon.

Their love of the Murray River prompted Teresa, Mick and their youngest child Jack to move from Ballan to Echuca in 2014.

Not long after, Teresa met some mums from Jack’s school at Miss Muddy in Ballarat.

This led to her joining a local women’s running group, where she has formed strong friendships and enjoyed many memorable trips.

One of the most recent trips was the 10km Bright Buffalo Stampede in April 2019.

This gave Teresa a taste of challenging trail running.

Although she had previously ran two marathons, this was her most difficult event ever.

Spurred on, Teresa and the running group planned to tackle UTA (Ultra Trail Australia) in the Blue Mountains in 2020, which has been postponed to 2021.

Teresa has always loved adventure.

Back in 2000, she and Mick trekked to the Mt Everest base camp with a group of their emergency services friends.

This amazing trip took 21 days and was a once in a lifetime adventure.

Teresa feels fortunate to be able to run.

Five years ago, she had a frightening experience that could have been life changing.

She was somersaulting on the trampoline with Mick and Jack, something she’d done many times before, but this time she didn’t land properly and knew she had hurt herself.

Mick told her not to move while five-year-old Jack dialled triple-zero.

She remained in a foetal position while Mick dismantled the trampoline, so the ambulance officers could assist.

Teresa had feeling in her limbs, so she didn’t panic, but it was serious - she had broken two vertebrae in her neck.

What could have been hit home soon after, especially once the surgeon told her: "I don’t know how you’re not a quadriplegic".

Teresa miraculously walked out of The Alfred hospital a week later.

She took her rehab seriously, rested for three months and made a full recovery.

She now has a different perspective on life, but one thing is for sure - she is even more determined to give things a go.

Teresa loves running in Echuca, where it’s flat and the climate is inviting.

She loves the fitness running brings and treasures the friendships formed through her running journey.

You can find the collection of Running Sisters stories of the website www.runningsisters.com.au and on Facebook @runsisters and Instagram runsisters_au