Meet the mighty midwife balancing career and ultrarunning

The idea of running hundreds of kilometres sounds like agony for many people. But Woodend local Kate MacMunn loves it, all while raising funds for her community.

Kate MacMunn has been nominated for the 2024 Shine Awards, which celebrate the achievements of rural and regional women across Australia. Click here to nominate an outstanding woman you know.

Working in a high-pressure environment such as a maternity ward can put a person on the frontline of a mixed bag of big emotions: happiness, joy, stress and celebration.

For Woodend’s Kate MacMunn, she’s found just the tonic to her hectic work life in her spare time: just run.

Kate MacMunn on a trail near her home in Woodend. Picture: Zoe Phillips

The 44-year-old midwife’s remedy is running ultra-marathon trails – often exceeding 50km in distance – while raising funds for charity.

It’s a high-energy pursuit that Kate, who also has three young children, says is meditative, forcing her to focus on the trail right in front of her, and nothing else.

“I’m not good at doing yoga, I need to be moving, and it makes me feel good,” Kate said. “Having young kids is very encompassing and constant, and the juggle can be draining, both mentally and physically.”

The pursuit of adventure is a common theme throughout Kate’s life.

After graduating, like many young people Kate took time off travelling.

But where others might jaunt through Europe or explore nearby Asia, Kate and her partner shipped two motorcycles into Russia and trekked through Eastern Europe.

This was followed by a stint working and living in Denmark, where she obtained her degree in midwifery.

But her running journey began when she joined a community running group with other mums in her area.

Trail runner and mother Kate MacMunn, who is also a skilled midwife. Picture: Zoe Phillips

“We wanted to run up Mount Macedon, and thought we’d give that a crack,” Kate said.

“The groups got a bit bigger, and the distances grew from 5km to 10km, then 50km and 80km. We do these amazing events that take us everywhere.”

She conquered the Mt Bulla Oscars 100km to raise funds for autism services, raising more than $1390 in 2022 and $2900 in 2021.

She is now in training for a race along the Grampians Peaks Trail, a total of 160km.

It’s a long time to be on your feet, but Kate doesn’t mind.


“It really gives you that time to refocus. Probably for all of us in health care, you can experience a lot of stuff, it can be traumatic and it’s very empathetic and you take a lot of that on board,” Kate said.

“You need a way to manage it.”