Melissa
Moon

A world champion mountain runner, humanitarian and Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, Melissa Moon MNZM has turned extraordinary endurance feats into powerful lessons on resilience, service and the human spirit.

Melissa is best known as a long-distance and mountain running star, having won two World Mountain Running Championships, 21 New Zealand athletic titles and becoming a two-time winner of the iconic race up New York’s Empire State Building, conquering 86 floors and 1,576 stairs in an astonishing 12 minutes and 39 seconds. She went on to win the Vertical World Circuit, a global series of races up many of the world’s tallest buildings, cementing her reputation as one of the world’s leading stair and mountain running athletes.

In recognition of her contribution to sport and the community, Melissa was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in 2021 for services to athletics and charitable causes. This honour reflects not only her achievements on the track and in the mountains, but her commitment to using those achievements to make a difference in people’s lives.

Melissa’s running journey has always been intertwined with a deep sense of purpose. In 2007 she joined the Blue Planet Run, a 95-day relay around the world designed to raise awareness of the global lack of safe drinking water. As part of the team, she covered approximately 25,000 kilometres across 16 countries, wearing through five pairs of shoes as she ran through extremes ranging from 45-degree heat in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia to battling swarms of horse flies in Siberia. The experience pushed her to physical and emotional limits and gave her profound insight into burnout, recovery and what it truly means to endure.

Giving back to others has been a constant thread in Melissa’s life. She has guided Maria, a visually impaired runner, in both the London Marathon and at three Para World Cup triathlon races, pairing her athletic expertise with trust, communication and courage in high-pressure environments. Closer to home, she has volunteered for many years at the Compassion Centre Soup Kitchen, delivered Meals on Wheels, and worked with residents living with neurological conditions at the St John of God care facility. These experiences have shaped her understanding of empathy, dignity and emotional intelligence in working with vulnerable people.

Her outstanding performances and character have been recognised widely. Melissa has been named New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year, Athletics New Zealand Athlete of the Year, and New Zealand Universities Sportsperson of the Year, and has been inducted into the Wellington Sports Legends Hall of Fame. In 2008 she was honoured globally with the JCI Outstanding Young Person of the World award, recognising both her sporting achievements and her community service.

Today, Melissa draws together these rich life experiences into a set of life principles that she shares with audiences in Aotearoa and around the world. She speaks candidly about her 20-year career in athletics, including the importance of aligning body, mind and spirit to achieve sustainable success and peak performance. She reflects on the Blue Planet Run, exploring the realities of extreme challenge, the cost of pushing beyond limits, and the journey through burnout and renewal. And she shares moving stories from her years at the Compassion Centre soup kitchen and other community work, highlighting the power of emotional intelligence, empathy and human connection in supporting people at their most vulnerable.

Blending elite sport, endurance, motivational insight, inspiring stories, resilience, charity and philanthropy, and a deep focus on wellbeing and community, Melissa Moon’s story is a compelling reminder that true success is measured not just by medals and titles, but by the lives we touch along the way.