Ultra-running: Inside the mind of the woman who ran 1000km in 12 days

“I simply need to take one step, one kilometre at a time… Extremely-running is a love-hate relationship,” stated Natalie Dau, in a voice message she recorded someplace alongside the japanese coast of Malaysia.

The 52-year-old had coated a 3rd of her 1,000km run from Thailand to Singapore, and the going was getting powerful.

“Right now is the primary time in 4 days I’ve questioned if I’d really end this factor. I really like the problem of the game, love the rawness of all of it, however hate these low factors. And so they come usually,” she stated.

Natalie needed to clock no less than 84km a day – the equal of two marathons – to realize her purpose of ending her run in 12 days.

Natalie is an ultra-runner – they race distances that exceed 42.2km, the size of a marathon. However she has not educated as an athlete all her life. She started racing solely in her late 30s to get fitter.

Whereas working has taken off globally, most information exhibits that progress in Western international locations. Figures for Asia are laborious to come back by, though a number of international locations within the area host well-liked marathons, reminiscent of Taiwan, Cambodia and Japan.

The problem is discovering extra takers amongst non-professional athletes who, like Natalie, run for causes, usually documenting their arduous runs on social media.

“Whether or not you are available first or final, it would not matter. You’ve got completed one thing virtually superhuman, one thing that 0.05% of the world’s inhabitants won’t ever do,” she stated.

However it takes a toll. She was sunburnt and exhausted from working for hours underneath the searing South East Asian solar. Her hip had began to grab up on the primary day. On day three, she acquired a urinary tract an infection.

She ultimately crossed the end line in downtown Singapore on 5 June, together with tons of of runners who had come to assist her on a weekday.

Clad in vibrant working gear, they ran by town’s industrial estates within the early hours, simply as daily-wage employees, with their backpacks and plastic lunch baggage in tow, made their technique to work.

“The longest I’ve run earlier than this was 200km,” Natalie informed the BBC the day after she completed her run. “I used to be in search of a unique technique to problem myself.”

She had the thought to run from the Thai border, by Malaysia, to Singapore in September. Over the following eight months, a number of mates got here on board to assist plan for the run, which was later named Undertaking 1000.

“I used to be a bit naive again then and knew little about what planning for such a run would take. My group requested me issues I hadn’t considered – what occurs in the event you want a hospital? How can we plan the border crossings? What number of security vans will we’d like?”

Via the 12-day ultra-marathon, Natalie despatched nightly voice notes to the BBC recapping the highs and lows of every day.

On day 5, she stated: “We had a second to have some breakfast from a roadside stall and loved the view for 5 minutes earlier than we headed off once more. Right now was day, however I’m not anticipating all days to be good. We’ve nonetheless acquired an extended technique to go.”

She and her group would sleep simply two to a few hours every night time as a result of they selected day three that she ought to begin working shortly after midnight to beat the warmth.

“Ending dinner at 8pm and setting your alarm for 11.30pm isn’t plenty of enjoyable,” she stated in one other message.

Getting up every day was the “scariest”, Natalie stated after the run. “I’d get up each morning questioning, ‘What if I am unable to run at present?'”

“The end line is so far-off, you’ll be able to’t envisage it. I could not even see the end-of-the-day end line… You need to get your head mentally within the zone with out figuring out what that end line appears like.”

Nearing the top, she described her physique as “feeling extraordinarily damaged”. She plastered her toes as a result of they “had been all blistered”.

“I’m struggling to stroll, drained and simply need to get dwelling and see my household. I’ll attempt to take pleasure in tomorrow, however I actually can’t wait to cross the border [into Singapore], to be sincere,” she stated in her be aware on day 10.

Extremely-runners are “a sure persona kind”, Natalie stated.

“In some components of the world, all of us dwell fairly comfortably. [So] persons are attempting to get a bit extra uncomfortable, and ultra-running is a very great way to do this.”

Past that sense of non-public achievement, Natalie stated she had hoped that Undertaking 1000 would empower girls. The run raised about S$50,000 (US$37,000) for GRLS, a charity funding tasks that encourage extra women and girls to play sports activities.

“Whether or not folks donated or not, it was a platform to get a message out,” Natalie stated. “Additionally, doing this as an older feminine, I actually needed to show to folks you could hold difficult [yourselves]. We’re solely restricted by our personal beliefs.”

Extremely-running of this stage, nonetheless, stays a privilege as a result of it takes time and sometimes wants sponsors and assist workers.

But others who participate in these runs say the essential sport continues to be open to many individuals.

“You want nothing however a pair of sneakers,” stated John Ellis, a Hong Kong-based ultra-runner.

“The social and aggressive aspect of races are enjoyable, however the world is a giant, great place and it’s good to get on the market and see it whereas pushing your limits and discovering out new issues about your self.”

Mary Hui, a Hong Kong-based journalist who does long-distance path runs, stated it is also a “welcoming neighborhood”.

“Working with a big pack, plenty of interplay earlier than and after, hours and hours of coaching with these folks… You will discover that even the most effective runner can have a foul day on the paths. That may decrease the obstacles.”

When requested if the fun of finishing the run was value all of the ache, Natalie stated, the “journey and the expertise… That was value it”.

Would she do it once more? She puzzled aloud and responded solely with nervous laughter.