Catriona Bisset enjoying whirlwind ride to fame as she breaks 43-year-old national 800m record  

Six months ago 800m runner Catriona Bisset was something of an unknown quantity, but when you crack an Australian record that has stood for 43 years you’re soon in the national spotlight.

Catriona Bisset returned to running as a way of helping her mental health after battling anxiety, depression and an eating disorder.

Charlene Rendina was ­listening to her regular morning radio show when she heard her name come up during the news break.

She was instantly filled with a mix of relief and excitement because it meant her 43-year-old Australian 800m record of 1min59sec had finally been broken.

And the new owner was someone who many hadn’t heard of until six months earlier when Catriona Bisset captured the national title.

Bisset’s extraordinary season, which also included the Oceania and World University 800m titles, peaked at last month’s London Grand Prix when she clocked 1min58.78sec.

“It’s definitely been a bit of a whirlwind experience the last few months,’’ Bisset said on Thursday after Rendina presented her with a certificate celebrating her achievement.

“It has been a bit of a shock how quickly things have progressed.”

Rendina admitted she saw a bit of herself in Bisset when she watched a replay of the race on Fox Sports.

“The way she did it, I thought it’s kind of how I did it 43 years ago, the way she hung in there and pushed to the end of the race,” she said.

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Catriona Bisset took out the women’s 800m at the national championships in April

“It was becoming a little bit of a joke. Every time an 800 was on, my friends would say, ‘Your record is still safe’.’’

Bisset, 25, returned to running as a way of helping her mental health after battling anxiety, depression and an eating disorder.

“A lot of it was because I loved the routine and how good that was for my mental and physical health,” she said.

Her crossroads moment came at the 2016 NSW championships when her training partner ran a PB while she was struggling.

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New Australian record-holder for 800m Catriona Bisset with Charlene Rendina, who had held the record for 43 years.

“I wanted to be her, I wanted to be really proud of my running,’’ she said.

Bisset moved to Melbourne and hooked up with veteran coach Peter Fortune, who guided Cathy Freeman to Olympic gold in 2000.

Now the girl who had anxiety attacks before races not that long ago is a realistic chance to make the 800m final at next month’s world championships in Doha, Qatar.

“Making the final would be amazing,” Bisset said. “I’m getting used to racing now and I can go out there and be assertive because I know I belong.’’

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