I have always had a curious fascination with the limits of the human potential from a very young age. So when I first heard that certain incredible human beings were able to run 100km – let alone 100 miles! – it blew my mind. I was amazed, and slightly in disbelief, that this was possible. I started running rather late in life after suffering two nasty shoulder injuries, merely as a way to exercise and push myself without a strong need for upper body strength. However, less than two years after reading about these races I was training to compete in one myself.
Fast-forward three years, and with many ultramarathons under my belt (an ultramarathon being anything longer than a marathon), the Ultra 100 Project was conceived. I realised that for me and my personal mindset, a marathon or less is just not long enough. While a 5km race is intensely physical and requires a great deal of athleticism, I am more interested in the mental and spiritual realm of running, and forging myself through ultra-long races is where I have found my true development as a person. Occasionally I place in the top 5 or top 10 in races, but predominantly I do this this for an innate love of movement and exploration.
No matter how hard you train, or how many times you have completed them, a 100-mile race is always going to be insanely tough, painful, and full of immensely dark and emotional times. My goal with this challenge is to complete 100 races of marathon distance and beyond, building up to 100 races of 100km and beyond, and with an eventual goal of 100 races of 100 miles.
Perhaps this final goal will be unattainable in my lifetime! But so far this project has taken me to incredible places around the world, enabled me to meet and become friends with some of the kindest people from many different countries, and also given me a level of fitness and mental strength that I would not have been able to achieve elsewhere.
I am intending to document each one of the races from this project here, with the purpose of holding myself accountable to my life goal – not showing off my achievements to others, but instead I hope to show people what is attainable through serious hard work and dedication – all whilst eating a 100% plant-based (vegan) diet.
Thanks for reading and good luck with your own personal challenges!
Current Total: 39
- Marathons: 5
- Ultramarathons : 35
- 100km+ Ultramarathons: 15
- 100-mile Ultramarathons: 7
- DNF’s (Did Not Finish) : 0
Click here to find out more about the individual races!
Perfect Balance Fitness 