It's harsh, and there is many an able-bodied athlete that falls by the wayside, broken by the sheer efford, required to complete the iconic race.
Shaz Dagg made history as the first female amputee to complete the Coast to Coast.
The mum from Feilding broke her arm in a freak accident while working on a goat milking farm in late 2016.
Unfortunately, she was bumped from surgery for five days, which meant nine surgeries in 11 days.
Complications meanth she ended up with compartment syndrome and an arm that did nothing. "It was just useless. It was more of a hindrance and was dragging me down."
So, she told husband Owen that she wanted it amputated.
"He was adamant there was no way I was doing that, but I wanted to move forward with my life and in the end he came round.
"Now he knows it was the right decision."
She's had two amputations as doctors try to limit the constant complex regional pain syndrome she lives with daily and the phantom pain.
Despite the challenges, Dagg doesn't let anything get in her way. She is New Zealand's first elite para-triathlete, is a sport development advisor for Parafed Manawatu and mentors youngsters on the Cactus Programme.
She has three times won the national para-triathlete championships as a PTS4 athlete and has won and twice been second in the Oceania championships. From her 10 starts in world triathlon events she has eight times made the podium.
She is undaunted by any challenge that gets in her way, and those who attend the 2022 East Coast Farming Expo will have a chance to hear her courageous story at the Rural Women's sponsored seminar on Thursday (February 24). Her message is simple - just get on with life.
"Things happen for a reason. There is always a good or positive thing to come out of every negative. Find a way forward because if you can't, no one else can do it for you!"
