Four Minutes from History: Polly Taylor’s Epic Battle at UTMB’s Wildest Year

This week, we share one customer’s quest to go agonisingly close to becoming the first 65-year-old female to finish the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) - 177 brutal kilometers around Mont Blanc with 10,000+ meters of elevation gain.

Polly Taylor is an incredible Kiwi who is no stranger to overcoming setbacks – including being hit by a 4X4 and overcoming a traumatic brain injury to finally realise her dream of lining up at the World Series Final of ultra-running’s most coveted ultra-marathon - UTMB. 

 A regular in in NZ’s iconic Coast to Coast events, Polly has topped her age group in several ultramarathons, and has won the Northburn 100 Miler – and this year, set her sights on Europe.

The grandmother, coach and adventure guide from Blenheim was raised in the wild expanse of the 13,000-hectare Ben McLeod Station in South Canterbury, which forged longstanding fitness and grit into her DNA.

She explains: “At 65, I’ve spent my life defying expectations and chasing mountains. Being born and raised in the high country of Ben McLeod Station, I spent my youth mustering on foot and that old-school endurance laid the foundation for everything I’ve done since.

“After selling my fashion label of 26 years, my husband Steve and I took to the world, cycling the Tour de France routes, climbing the French Alps, and summiting Kilimanjaro. But my real passion is running wild trails and extreme races.

“In 2009, I crashed during Ironman training, breaking my pelvis in four places and cracking my hip socket.

“In 2019, I was hit by a 4x4, suffering eight fractured ribs, a collapsed lung, and a traumatic brain injury. Both recoveries were long, painful, and tested every ounce of my resilience. The second - especially with the brain injury - was the toughest.

“But I held on for this moment because no female my age has ever finished the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) - it’s brutal. It’s iconic. I planned to change that.”

Polly came to the race the best she’d ever been and felt great, even after the 34-hour journey from New Zealand to Chamonix in France. But her best-laid plans were foiled by the horrendous weather conditions at this year’s UTMB.

Race-day dawned, and the mountains were a cauldron with snowfall on. The high passes had blizzard-like conditions, sub-zero windchills and ankle-deep snow at altitude.

“This is hard to write as I had a great build up and I had actually run the whole route in training - and this was my type of course: Tough and brutal. The gun went and I just felt amazing.

“Then, six km into the race I really rolled my ankle but I never let it get to me and ran a personal best into the first aid station. I knew I could do it on painkillers but I didn’t realise this race was going to turn a survival test.”

Polly battled constant downpours, winds and freezing sleet, which made the descents slippery and hazardous - and missed the race cut-off by 4 minutes.

Polly’s agony is raw and honest: “DNF is not in my vocabulary but this one hurt more than the accident as I finally got to run UTMB”. She ended her race in a moon boot and on crutches, but she hasn’t given up on this race. “I will need to re-qualify so I am thinking of a race in Thailand, where if you achieve top-three for age, you gain entry to UTMB.”

She remains an avid fan of CurraNZ.

“As an endurance athlete, recovery is everything - and that’s where CurraNZ has made a real difference for me.

“I started using the blackcurrant extract just before the 2024 Kosciuszko Miler, a 100-mile ultra in the Australian Snowy Mountains. The day after the race, I was surprised by how fresh I felt. Honestly, I questioned whether I’d pushed hard enough - because my body felt too good compared to previous events.

“Since incorporating it into my routine, I’ve noticed faster recovery times, which means I can handle a higher training load and bounce back quicker between sessions.

From childhood mustering to mountain heartbreak, Polly’s story is far from over. As she says, “I’ve spent my life defying expectations and chasing mountains - both literal and metaphorical.”

CurraNZ is proud to be part of her journey - and cannot wait to see her line up once again with our trademark ‘Running Beast’ tattoos, ready to conquer Mont Blanc.