After fleeing Iran for Auckland, Shirin Heidari still remembers the first time she was out for a walk, without her headscarf, and feeling the breeze in her hair and on her neck.

The freedom was "empowering", she said. "My mum and me, we were lucky … but there’s a lot of other refugees in other parts of the world that aren’t as lucky."

“It was big culture change, when I moved": Shirin Heidari moved to Auckland as a refugee when she was teenager. Credit:Janie Barrett

Having experienced the plights of refugees first-hand, Ms Heidari is hoping to use this year's The Sun-Herald City2Surf presented by Westpac to help others in need.

Women’s freedoms in Iran, where she lived until 2009, are heavily restricted. She said it’s more difficult for women to work in Iran, particularly for a divorcee, like her mother.