Once upon a time Tarli Bird thought it was only Olympians who represented their country. Little did she know that her talent would take her to international running scene where she would compete in Japan, Paris and New York.
Tarli is one talented running sister who focuses on running for enjoyment.
Tarli, 33, is a Fine Arts graduate, an art teacher, acclaimed artist and elite athlete.
Her day consists of running, teaching, running again, and spending time in her studio. Friday is her “short run day” or maybe her day off, and Sunday is her ‘long run’ day. A regular week for Tarli includes running around 130 kms.
Running became a passion for Tarli during her university years. She lived on campus at Monash and in the evenings would run around the grounds.
Tarli humbly attributes her running success to her coaches and mentors Lesley Grimes and Trevor Vincent who taught her to run for love rather than achievement. Fourteen years later she still values Lesley’s advice and guidance.
At the beginning of each year Tarli attends a retreat with her coach and fellow runners at Falls Creek. This is an ideal location to escape the heat, get motivation and set up for the year ahead. This year it was cut short as they were evacuated due to the devastating bushfires.
Tarli loves fun run events especially Run for the Kids in April and Run Melbourne in July. She likes to have a winter goal to provide an incentive to train in the colder months. While her focus is on her own PB unsurprisingly Tarli was the first female across the line at Run for Kids 2019.
A highlight of Tarli’s running journey is representing Australia in Japan in 2013. She was part of an Ekiden relay, a Japanese term for a long-distance relay running race. Tarli ran the last leg of the mixed gender marathon. She enjoyed the excitement and was amazed by the supportive crowds lining the streets.
In the past Tarli has combined travel and competing internationally, however she’s decided holidays are more enjoyable without the distraction of a race. So for now her focus is on site seeing and visiting galleries which aligns with her other great love and area of talent – art.
Twice in 2019 Tarli was handpicked by a committee of art industry experts to showcase her work at the Other Art Fair in Sydney. She relished mixing with other artists and the opportunity to sell her work.
Tarli is not one to draw attention to her achievements and is a role model of humility and determination.
