She has previously completed four half marathons, but never dreamed of completing a full marathon.
Huckin finished the marathon in 6:35:16 and was welcomed at the finish line by her family.
‘‘It felt fantastic when I crossed the finish line,’’ she said.
‘‘I cried, but I’m not sure whether it was relief or just joy.
‘‘It was certainly an emotional experience. Seeing my husband Matt and the kids (Riley, Josh and Shelby) and how proud they were was such an amazing feeling.
‘‘It was an overwhelming feeling of achievement, relief and pride to join a small group of people to have done this.
‘‘The percentage of people who finish the marathon is quite small, so to know that I can do it is just such an amazing feeling.’’
Huckin decided to tackle a full marathon earlier this year, being inspired by a television show she had watched.
‘‘There was a TV show that followed an athlete who raised funds for charity by competing in multiple Ironman competitions,’’ she said.
‘‘I watched it and it made me think ‘I can finish a marathon’.
‘‘I started training on April 1 with Josh Perizzolo and spent a lot of the past six months running.
‘‘I also participate in Triathlon Club sometimes and spend a lot of time at Motiv8.
‘‘There were times throughout training where I’d message Josh and tell him I couldn’t do it, but he got me back on track.
‘‘It was my first crack at a full marathon and it was quite overwhelming at times, but Josh, Hope at Motiv8 and my family all kept my mind at ease.
‘‘Without their support there would be no way that I would have achieved this.’’
A close second to the sense of achievement for Huckin was the feeling of belonging. She said that the support of the running community as a whole helped to push her through.
‘‘There is a group on Facebook called Running Mums Australia that I joined,’’ Huckin said.
‘‘They range from mums who do a little bit of running to mums who compete in ultra marathons.
‘‘No matter what level of running you do, they’re all so supportive.
‘‘The running community as a whole has been so helpful. During the marathon you pick up people along the way and get chatting.
‘‘It was always encouraging words and everyone had each others backs.’’
Still recovering from the 42km run, Huckin said she was in no rush to hit the running track in the near future.
‘‘I’m not going to rule out another marathon, but for now I will rest,’’ she said
‘‘I enjoyed the experience from training to finishing so I can definitely see myself having another crack at it.’’
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Huckin was not the only local to push their limits in Melbourne on October 13.
Eddie Lumbar completed the half marathon in an impressive 2:17:46.
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