AN EXCITED crowd waited on the steps of the Birdsville Hotel to welcome Jane Trumper, the first woman to run 664 kilometres across the Simpson Desert, on Tuesday.
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The 51-year-old mother of three led the cheering as she jogged into town, joking about the glass of wine waiting for her on the bar.
The police four-wheel-drive, lights flashing, escorted Ms Trumper across the last 2km to where the growing crowd was waiting.
When she arrived, she jokingly turned around to run back. But, photos were taken, hugs were given and Ms Trumper was finally able to enjoy her cold glass of wine.
Since beginning on April 1, she climbed over 1200 sand dunes through the Simpson Desert from the Lambert, Australia's geographical centre, to Birdsville, raising money for Bear Cottage, a children's hospice in Sydney.
Ms Trumper attempted the same run last year but was stopped by bushfires.
This time, she knew what to expect from the terrain and track conditions.
But, she said, she didn't expect the uncharacteristic April heat of the first few days of the run.
"The temperature was 45 degrees on the day I started," she said.
"That was the biggest downer. I thought, 'What the hell have I started and how the hell am I going to do another nine days if it stays like this?'"
Ms Trumper said that the rocky terrain on days two and three was challenging.
"It's tough on feet and you have to make sure you don't twist an ankle," she said.
"After that I had a few blisters but they didn't get a lot worse - I looked after my feet really well."
After day two, she said, the days were monotonous and she motivated herself by knowing exactly how far she had to run each day. "I didn't push myself to a point where I didn't want to get up in the morning and do it."
However, she said that the best part about every day was seeing her support cars in the distance.
"When I stopped I was really glad to be stopping but I didn't think, 'Oh my god, it's only day three.'"
Ms Trumper's run was in aide of Bear Cottage, Westmead Hospital's Children's Hospice, where Ms Trumper's daughter volunteers.
She chose the charity because it's close to her heart.
"I have three healthy kids," she said.
"I think that anyone who's got a sick kid is going through a hell of a lot more than running 664 kilometres across a desert. They go through this emotional drain every day."
Although her main intention was to raise money for Bear Cottage, Ms Trumper said it was exciting to do something no woman had ever done.
She said that she was proud of her achievement but is surprised by the amount of media attention she's receiving.
Despite her amazing feat, don't expect Ms Trumper to spend too much time basking in her acheivement - she's running a marathon in Canberra on Sunday.