Singleton-born Meghann Coffey smashes West Macs Monster 231km course record

Meghann was the first female and second overall finisher in a time of 47 hours, 11 minutes and 38 seconds. Eclipsing the previous record by nine hours and 41 minutes.

She also set the fastest known time running the Larapinta Trail, set by Lucy Batholomew in 2021.

Meghann, who now resides in Western Australia, was born and raised in Singleton and was one of only eight runners to complete the course this year.

Meghann's, mum Fiona traveled to Alice Springs for the race.

"I get emotional every time I think about it," Fiona Coffey said. "The checkpoints we can get to we go to, so we're there if she needs to change her shoes or change her clothes.

Meghann was competing in the West Macs Monster, where runners have to navigate a dirt track, rocks and water.

Her race is called the Sonder Monster and it begins with an eight kilometre climb to a 740-metre high point at the top of Mount Sonder.

"There was a section on this run where they actually had to swim through 2.7 metre water," Fiona Coffey said.

"I'm not sure how far across the actual swim was, and that was at two o'clock in the morning and it's one degree which feels like minus five.

"They had to take off their joggers and put on reef shoes, put all their stuff in a garbage bag and hold it across their head until they got to the other side."

Meghann ran the first 120km's of the race by herself before a pacer, a member of her team, was able to run alongside her for the next 60km.

Starting at 9am on Friday, May 19, Coffey crossed the finish line shortly after 8am on Sunday, May 21.

Fiona Coffey said it will take her daughter months to recover from the grueling experience.

"She is a physio so she will probably get some of her physio people to work on her," she said.

"She'll probably still do a couple of small runs, just a couple of k's each day to make sure she doesn't seize up.

"She'll have nice, long hot baths or should probably even do some ice baths."

In 2021 Meghann won the Delirious 200 in Western Australia, a 200-mile ocean track, breaking the race record.

The Larapinta Trail is in the West McDonnell Ranges near Alice Springs. Runners could also compete in 128km, 65km, 25km and 5km distances.

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