Photography — Luke Foley-Martin | Styling — Claire Sullivan-Kraus | Creative Direction — Anna Saveleva | Hair & Makeup — Emily Zganiacz
In partnership with Tiffany & Co.
Zoe Hobbs has long been running her own race. The sprinter, Olympian, and fastest woman in Oceania has been competing since she was five — and now, at 27, her focus is sharper than ever. As she prepares for the World Championships in September and continues to break records (including many of her own making), we sit down with the athlete to talk inner strength, becoming the role model she once needed, and why, sometimes, slowing down is the only way to pick up speed.
Reaction, acceleration, transition, and top-end are four phases a 100m sprint could be broken down into, but you could just as easily use the same language to describe the trajectory of New Zealand sprinter Zoe Hobbs’ life thus far — although acceleration has been the through-line.
To an outsider, a race can be over in less than 11 seconds — but few know that preparing for a 100m sprint at this level is an always-on, all-consuming, year-round pursuit that requires decades of dedication. Hobbs trains or actively recovers seven days a week, with double sessions twice weekly, alongside constantly considered nutrition, mental resilience training, and relentless travel. The margins are minute, and as a result, the mental load is immense. Unlike team sports such as rugby, which operates in seasons and stretches out over an 80-minute game, sprinting is singular — no teammates, no bench, and largely self-driven.
“To an outsider, arace can be over in less than 11 seconds — but few know that preparing for a 100m sprint at this level is an always-on, all-consuming, year-round pursuit that requires decades of dedication.”
Her momentum began in rural Taranaki, where Hobbs grew up with her parents and older brother. Typical of small-town New Zealand, her childhood was largely spent outdoors, in and amongst the community, with sport playing a naturally central role in daily life.
Hobbs was just five-years-old when she joined the local athletics club, and it wasn’t long before her natural talent was recognised. Her parents, both sporty but not pushy, encouraged her athleticism in a low-key way. “I felt as though my upbringing in sport was supported in all of the right ways,” she says. “My parents encouraged me without ever putting pressure on me. Of course, they loved to see me win, but it was also about giving things a go, working hard, and always showing good sportsmanship — those were central to everything I did.” It stuck. Even now, Hobbs’ approach to competition isn’t fuelled by ego, but by a natural pull towards what lights her up. And only five minutes into our conversation, I can confirm that for Hobbs, running has been, is, and always will be exactly that. It’s fascinating to encounter someone whose passion has remained constant from such a young age, but that singular focus has proved foundational to her career, which has only gone in one direction: forward.
Her brother, she tells me more than once, was a significant motivator in her early years — his drive, ambition, competitive nature, and support set the tone. He was also unwittingly an active participant in kick-starting her career. Revelling in his sister’s undeniable speed, he’d set up races during school lunch breaks, pitting her against older kids who thought they could easily beat her (she always won). But it would be remiss to give him all of the credit. I quickly gather that Hobbs possesses an incredible natural drive, and her competitive spirit — even at such a young age — quickly propelled her forward. However, she’s quick to point out that an athlete’s journey is always far from linear.
“My dream had always been to compete in the Olympics; it’s the pinnacle of track and field, but having never seen any other women make it from New Zealand made me doubt whether it was
even possible.”
She began slowly but surely, gaining momentum at her local athletics club, Eltham Athletics, then slightly further afield. Things really began to accelerate in 2016 when she moved to Auckland for university and connected with her coach, James Mortimer. The same coach has been by her side ever since.
In those early days, the now record-breaking athlete never saw athletics as a professional path. Instead, it was simply the sport she loved and excelled at — one that offered her community, clear markers of improvement, and ultimately, a challenge (she wanted to see how far she could take it; to see if she could make it onto the world stage). But when she met Mortimer, things changed quickly. “I didn’t even think it was possible to go professional,” she tells me. “That wasn’t even on my radar. In my mind, I always had to get a degree and work alongside sport. I never envisioned that I’d one day be doing this full time.”
That shift also marked the first time Hobbs trained within a structured group environment — a stark contrast to her high school years, where most sessions were solo and often run on the local rugby field. “It was a game changer,” she says. “Being in a high-performance environment and training alongside others brought a new level of accountability and structure, that’s when I really started to see steady year-on-year progress.” It all built towards 2023 — the year she broke the elusive sub-11 barrier and turned professional. “That race changed everything. Suddenly, the idea of going full time wasn’t just a dream — it became my reality.”
Ahead of this, Hobbs pursued a degree in sport and recreation, landing a Prime Minister’s Scholarship through HPSNZ. However, just over a year in, she decided to make the switch to nutrition, pivoting to study a Bachelor of Science majoring in Human Nutrition. At the same time, training was ramping up, and the juggle became trickier to manage. “I had to be quite strategic,” Hobbs tells me, “One year I was doing seven papers, and another I was doing one, based on what was on internationally and how much I was away from the course. It was a real balancing act, particularly in a science degree where I had to be physically present in a majority of my classes for labs, requiring a lot of forward planning. It certainly demanded a level of resilience.”
Looking back, Hobbs says balancing university and elite sport was one of the most formative challenges of her life. “It taught me so much — about time management, forward planning, flexibility, and pushing through even when things felt overwhelming,” she reflects. Those same skills, honed through the juggling act, have proved invaluable in her sporting career. “There were definitely moments where I worried I might regret the sacrifices — not going through uni with the same cohort, missing milestones, missing out on the things most of my peers were doing… but it’s rewarding now to see that it was all worth it.” Her degree also offered obvious practical advantages, “Having that background in nutrition has genuinely helped — it’s a huge asset to be able to apply that knowledge directly to my training, recovery, and performance.”
There came a time when Hobbs had to decide to go all in and turn the sport into a career, and in characteristically ambitious fashion, she dug deep and took the leap. “I went professional in 2023. Opportunities changed, funding changed, and a host of factors allowed me to propel into making it a full time thing.” The feedback she was given early on didn’t help. According to the conventional paths, the federations, and the algorithms, it was suggested that she was better placed to shift her energy to the 200m or the hurdles if she wanted to make it onto the senior world stage as an individual athlete. But Hobbs, now 27 and the fastest woman in Oceania, has made a career out of eschewing what doesn’t sit right with her — and backing what does. “I was told on a few occasions that the 100 metres wasn’t the best path for me if I wanted to continue in the sport at an elite level,” she says, seated somewhere between gratitude and grit. “But the 100m has always been my favoured event in this sport. Without question, it’s what I’ve always loved the most. And that, to me, trumps everything — you need to love what you’re doing first and foremost,” she continues, “That’s what was going to carry me — to be invested in the training and the work required to get to that next level.”
“[Breaking the sub-11 second barrier] changed everything. Suddenly, the idea of becoming a full-time sprinter wasn’t just a dream — it became my reality.”
But, no matter how much she loved it, I don’t think she could have ever anticipated that she would be running 100m in sub-11 seconds, continuously breaking records as she gears up for her second Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028. Hobbs said she never had a local benchmark or role model growing up. Track wasn’t exactly mainstream, and women’s sprinting in Aotearoa had no clear blueprint (before her, a female hadn’t represented New Zealand in the Olympic 100m sprint since 1976), which certainly impacted her confidence. “My dream had always been to one day compete in the Olympics; it’s the pinnacle of track and field, but having never seen any other women make it from New Zealand growing up, that challenged me time and time again and made me doubt whether it would be possible.”
But in the end, drive overruled doubt, and her dream was realised in Paris in 2024, when she not only made her Olympic debut, but qualified for the semi-finals with a 11.08 time. While she narrowly missed the finals, Hobbs was still deemed New Zealand’s fastest ever female 100m sprinter, and is now gearing up for LA — sights set on the leader’s board — in 2028.
While Hobbs’ achievements are immense, it’s clear that in her mind, she’s just getting started, “I just want to see how far I can really take it.” That deep focus has carried her through a string of record-breaking performances and into a new stratosphere entirely. She was the first woman in the Oceania region to break the 11-second barrier in the 100m. She’s held the Resident Record since 2019 — breaking her own mark on numerous occasions — and now holds the majority of the fastest times ever run by a New Zealand female. She also went on to break the NZ record in 2021. And yet, for Hobbs, success is measured just as much by resilience as it is by a stopwatch. On a couple of occasions now, she’s missed major milestones. The year prior to the Olympics, she missed the World Championships final by 0.01 seconds. In the 2024 World Indoor Championships, she then missed out on medals by the same mark. “It was bittersweet,” she says, “But even getting that close — that was a massive moment for me. And it fuelled my hunger to go further.”
Her strategy is to stay in her own lane — both literally and mentally. “I remind myself that I’ve done the work. I deserve to be here.” That mindset has helped her navigate the rising media attention too. “It’s easy to compare yourself or feel pressure, especially with growing expectations. But I’ve realised that what people think or expect doesn’t actually change how I run.” She smiles, “It sounds simple, but it’s taken me years to get to that point.”
Behind the scenes, Hobbs’ training schedule is as finely tuned as her mindset — a year-round programme built around major championship targets, planned almost a year in advance with her coach, physical therapist, strength and conditioning lead, and biomechanics expert. “We mapped out the entire season back in November,” she says, referencing this year’s peak events. Since then, aside from a few days off post-World Indoors, she’s barely paused. “Everything we do ladders up to those peak moments. From general prep phases to taper phases, it’s all about building the base and then sharpening up when it counts.”
Her off-season is marked by heavier training loads and less rest, while in-season pivots toward high-intensity speed work and more recovery. A typical week at home might involve an acceleration session on Monday (focused on block starts), gym and tempo on Tuesday (a chance to refine technique under lower intensity), with performance therapy and additional gym sessions worked in twice weekly. Thursday brings max velocity sprint work, followed by either recovery or another key session on Saturday. At least two full rest days are non-negotiable. “Recovery is just as important as the training itself,” Hobbs explains. “You can’t hide in athletics. If I’m not well recovered, I’m compromising the session — or worse, risking injury.” Her approach leans into the “boring basics”, spanning mobility, fuelling, hydration, and sleep. While tools like Normatec boots, magnesium salt baths, or sauna sessions are sometimes in the mix, simplicity is key. “I’ve learned that doing the basics well, consistently, is what really pays off. It’s not about doing everything — it’s about doing the right things with purpose.”
“Behind the scenes, Hobbs’ training schedule is as intense and finely tuned as her mindset — a year-round programme built around major championship targets, planned almost a
year in advance”
Behind the scenes, Hobbs’ growth has been just as deliberate. “As an individual athlete, I have to drive the bus and own the operation,” she says. “From choosing which competitions to race in, to how much time I spend overseas — even navigating solo training blocks when my support team isn’t physically with me — my campaign is, in many ways, self-driven.”
Still, she’s the first to acknowledge the role of others. “It’s also collaborative. It’s precise, and it takes a team behind me,” emphasising the importance her support team has on her success as an athlete. Late last year, just ahead of her Olympic lead-in, Hobbs made one of the biggest changes of her career, bringing two new members into her tight-knit performance team. “On paper, it probably didn’t make sense to most people. I’d just come off the best season of my career, I’d broken the sub-11 barrier. But I knew to reach the next level, I had to address a few gaps — even if it meant taking a few steps back before moving forward.”
With that shift came a new level of scrutiny — not just over sprinting technique or gym sessions, but everything. “We zoomed out and looked at how I moved in everyday life. At this level, especially in the 100m, gains come from the smallest margins,” she explains. “I used to muscle my way through things without necessarily understanding the mechanics or the intent behind the movement. Now, I’m much more aware of what I’m doing, how I’m doing it, and most importantly, why I’m doing it.”
That self-awareness is paying off, and some positive changes have started to shine through, “We still have plenty of work to do, which is the exciting part, but I’m starting to feel stronger and more efficient, and the performances are beginning to reflect that.” For Hobbs, strength means drive, resilience, perseverance — and a whole lot of hard work. Now, more than ever, it also means slowing down to pick up speed.
And it’s not the first time that the athlete has had this realisation. After tearing her hamstring in 2023, Hobbs was forced to slow down and reconsider. She returned to competition with modest expectations — only to then run sub-11 for the first time in her life. “I surprised myself,” she says. “And I realised, wow. I’ve been putting limits on myself, even subconsciously. That was the moment I started to shift how I saw myself.”
More recently, she tells me (perhaps as a result of this shift), she’s hit a great stride with her training and feels better than ever — something she credits to honing in on consistency, placing high importance on the basics, and ensuring every session has a purpose. “I also think I’ve developed a new level of self-awareness in what I feel in training and races, so that I can either re-tap on the same effective cues, or recognise where changes are needed. And overall, some of the things we’ve been slowly and patiently chipping away at in the background are just clicking into place.”
“I always feel proud to represent Aotearoa. Coming from a small town, I want kids to see that big things can come from humble beginnings.”
Hobbs is still based in Auckland, but now spends much of the year competing internationally. “No matter where I’m competing, I always feel proud to represent Aotearoa,” she says. “Coming from a small town, I want kids to see that big things can come from humble beginnings.” Her schedule is relentless — training, travel, recovery — but she’s learning how to create pockets of stillness within it. When she’s not on the track, she’s usually recharging with friends, family, or her partner (Kiwi sailor Stewart Dodson). “The sport can be isolating, so I really treasure the moments I can just be around my people and the time I get to spend at home.”
She’s also passionate about using her platform to elevate the next generation — especially young girls coming up through the sport. “Visibility is so important,” she says. “I used to feel uncomfortable sharing achievements on social media — growing up, I was taught to be humble. But I’ve realised that if you’ve worked really hard for something, you deserve to celebrate it. And more so, by sharing your story, you give permission for others to dream bigger.”
Her own dream, of course, is still unfolding. With the World Championships in September, the Commonwealth Games in 2026, the World Champs again in 2027, and the LA Olympics in 2028, Hobbs has a packed few years ahead. Plenty of room for progress. Coaches believe she can shave another two-tenths of a second off her time — a seismic leap in the 100m. Hobbs believes it too. “I know what I’m capable of,” she says. “It’s just about putting the pieces together, one step at a time, and trusting in the team behind me who have the expertise to get me there.”
Still, she’s careful not to let the outcome overshadow the process. “You’re not going to see linear progress,” she says. “There are setbacks, there are flat patches. But if you love what you’re doing, and you keep showing up, you’ll get there.”
In a sport defined by milliseconds, Zoe Hobbs has learned the value of patience. Of consistency. Of tuning out the noise and trusting the work. She may be Oceania’s fastest woman — but her journey is a masterclass in going slow, staying grounded, and letting belief build. “Even on the hard days (and there are many), I remind myself that this is my dream job,” she says, “I get to run for a living… and that’s pretty special.” As she always has, Zoe Hobbs is running her own race — only now, the whole world is keeping pace.
