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From first-class cricket to conquering One NZ GODZONE, Michele Frey is a sporting connoisseur who loves nothing better than bringing her competitive spirit to everything she does. Michelle has competed at One NZ GODZONE three times and has truly caught the adventure racing bug.

Michele is now a member of the Pure Adventure Charitable Trust and brings a wealth of governance experience to her role as a trustee. After gaining a bachelor’s and master’s in environmental management at Lincoln University, she held various roles in local government as a Parks Planner and Parks and Recreational Tourism Planning Consultant and is currently the Director of Liveable Communities in Gisborne with an extensive portfolio covering everything from parks, pools and cemeteries to solid waste, kerbside, land management and biodiversity portfolios. She was the chair of Recreation Aotearoa for four years and on the board for nine years and is currently on the board for DC Cricket – she played first class provincial cricket for several years.

What One NZ GODZONE Chapter did you first race in?

Chapter 7 Fiordland was the first. I was running, playing cricket, competing in triathlon and doing a lot of tramping, mountain nav and adventures into Fiordland when GODZONE came across my radar. With a bunch of girlfriends and my partner, we decided to take the plunge and spontaneously enter all as first-timers.

Three women and one guy doing the Pursuit category, which was fun. We were a bit nervous but did heaps of training and recces into Fiordland. We got a program off Nathan Fa’avae, which taught us the trade tricks, including looking after our feet, nutrition, staying well hydrated and sleeping efficiently. One of our team members is a researcher, so she researched how to make a team finish GZ. We were reasonably well prepared and completed the course in the 10th position achieving our goal to finish the full Pursuit course.

What has been your main goal when competing at One NZ GODZONE?

It’s all about being out there in the wilderness with a bunch of lifelong friends and comrades prepared to go the distance and battle all odds to get to the finish line.

For me, it’s that whole experience of an adventure where you don’t know how it will pan out. The aim is always to experience the wilderness and outdoors, have a fantastic time with your mates, even with moments of pain and uncomfortableness and enjoy that sense of accomplishment at the finish. Nothing can describe the feeling of crossing a GODZONE finish line.

I am definitely one to keep chugging away, and something that I have learned with GODZONE is that it’s not over until it’s over. Even when you’re close to the finish line, anything can happen. You need a competitive spirit to stay alive and thrive in that setting, especially when exhausted, as it helps you to endure the challenge.

What is your best race memory to date?

Since Chapter 7, I have competed with some great teammates at Chapter 9 in Rotorua and then Chapter 11 in Southland, but that first one in Fiordland was particularly momentous. I will never forget being on that massive trek heading out towards the Coast when a team coming towards us said not to continue as there was an impassable river that was impossible to cross; it was treacherous. They had turned around heading back the whole way around, costing them 50 km or so of trekking.
We thought about how hard could be and decided to continue. We came to the river, and it wasn’t even flowing. We crossed it in 10 minutes with water up to our shoulders, but no problem getting across. Because we were well hydrated and had slept, we made clear decisions to follow our A plan and got the results saving what could have been a days travel. The other team was so sleep-deprived that they saw things in that river that were not there.

What do you hope to achieve as a PURE ADVENTURE Charitable Trustee?

I am passionate about conservation and the environment. Being able to do these races in these diverse New Zealand areas is a massive privilege. but I don’t want it to be at the expense of the environment, conservation or cultural values. It’s something that I am particularly focused on with the event to ensure we are advancing adventure racing but not compromising environmental principles.

My strength is my background working for DOC and local government and bringing those experiences to the table. I raced with fellow trustee Chris Stewart at Chapter 11, so when he called to ask if I wanted to be involved, it was a no-brainer. It felt like the right fit with a great bunch of fellow directors.

Are you racing Chapter 12?

I have entered a Pursuit team for Chapter 12 and am looking forward to racing in Marlborough, a region I have not spent much time in. It will be a totally new landscape, racing with a bunch of new people – three other guys who are all good sorts. I hope to build some great friendships and have a fantastic adventure with the ultimate goal again of finishing the full course and making it to the finish line.

As a trustee, I am not privy to any course information and excluded from any course discussions, so don’t even try to hit me up. I know nothing!