Fuelled by litres of chocolate milk, a creative arts associate professor has become  the first woman to complete the 11 Great Walks in 11 days.

After months of training, Bridget Johnson set out along Lake Waikaremoana on January 18. She reached the trail end of Raikura 10 days, nine hours and 20 minutes later on January 28. The total adventure was approximately 550km of running and 150km of paddling.

Her favourite part was sharing the trails with friends. She said someone joined her on the trail for part or all of the day for almost every run. 

“I was constantly surrounded by people who were as invested in the project as I was and that made all the difference,” she said.

When Johnson spoke to Wilderness ahead of her challenge in September last year, she said the most daunting part was the thought of kayaking 145km on the Whanganui River.

She confirmed it had been “by far” the most challenging part of the journey. 

“The strain on the upper body was pretty real, especially on my hands,” she said.

Johnson said another challenge was the long drives. She found it fatiguing to sit still in a car heading to the next track after being on her feet for 8–10 hours. 

Going into the adventure with no expectations, Johnson was struck by how different each Great Walk is.

“Even the trails that are close to each other have unique geography and landscapes. Taken together they form an incredible picture of the diversity of our country,” she said.

French Kiwi Romain Groleau recently completed 10 Great Walks in nine days, covering  the distance of more than 12 marathons.