Ride of her life

At 15, Sammie Maxwell was urged to accept hospital treatment for anorexia. Eight years later, she's on top of the mountain-biking world.

- PHIL TAYLOR

It might seem odd to talk about going full circle when you're only 23, but Samara (Sammie) Maxwell has done exactly that - at least when it comes to ice cream. And that speaks volumes about her current mental state. Whereas she once avoided ice cream at all costs, now she says it's a superpower.

From age 5, spurred by the reward of the treat, she would furiously chase her father and big brother through the forest mountain bike trails near the family home in Taupō. By her teens, she wouldn't touch ice cream - or much else.

She got skinny. Too skinny. Anorexia nervosa was diagnosed. Doctors recommended hospital treatment.

A long learning curve followed - about the disease, the psychology of the illness, about herself. It's a journey, she declares, that is ongoing.