Jo Zakrzewski knew when to push and when to relax when completing a gruelling 21-kilometre, 10-kilometre and then five-kilometre race along the Port Macquarie foreshore on March 7.

It was a momentous occasion for the 45-year-old who flew out from the United Kingdom for a short holiday 12 months ago.

She hasn't returned home since touching down in Australia on the same weekend last year's Port Macquarie Running Festival was held.

"This is an important weekend for me," she said.

"I'm from Scotland and came out for a three-week holiday this weekend last year and my flight was cancelled home due to coronavirus so I've not been home.

"I made friends with the Terrigal Trotters and took up running with them, so this was a big trotters weekend away.

"We had 40 of us away here so it was me celebrating a year away."

Zakrzewski said she had to ward off cramps between races with a number of her competitors showing concern for her health.

But she put it down to old age.

"After the first half (marathon) I ran faster than I thought I would run which really surprised me," she said.

"Then I had to go to the bathroom and I started to walk and I nearly fell over and I couldn't move and people were saying 'do you need to go to hospital', 'do you need a doctor?'

"I told them I didn't, I was just old and stiff."

In energy-sapping conditions with high humidity and temperatures in the mid-20s, Zakrzewski felt slight tweaks to the course would keep runners satisfied.

"It would be nice for the last five kays to have maybe gone the other direction just for a change," she said.

"You're always turning the same way and you're always running into the sun so it would have been nice just to go a different way."

But overall she said the event was well run and her clubmates were already looking to return for the Ironman in May.

"I'd like to go home and see my family in the UK, but this is one of the best organised races I've ever come across," she said.

"It's so nice and everyone's so friendly. It's really well organised, the photos are free and there's so many different events I'd love to come back.

"Some people in my club are now tempted to come back to Port for the Ironman so we're looking at whether to do that as a relay."

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