For many people, the thought of running a marathon or an ultra-marathon is a daunting task. For those immersed within the ultra running world, it can be a form of escape and also gives a sense of adventure and accomplishment.
Camille Herron – accomplished ultra runner
Camille Herron is no stranger to ultra running and already has many impressive accolades under her belt. She is the first and only athlete to win all three of the road IAU World Championships for 50K, 100K, and 24 Hours. She won the Comrades Marathon in 2017, and already holds several World Records.
Fancy taking on the Comrades Marathon? Check out our top bucket list races.
Now, she has one more achievement to add to her list. She ran a record-breaking 435,336km (which is roughly 270 miles) as part of the Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour Festival in Bruce, Australia. The run was done around a 400-metre track, seeing her cover 1,088 laps.
The previous 48-hour World Record was 411.5km, set by British runner Jo Zakrzewski just last month. Herron’s stellar run smashes that record by over 15 miles. Her average pace was 10:39 / mile, but that included a 40-minute nap, so her running pace would have been even faster.
“A lot of 24-hour runners don’t sleep at all for 24 hours, but I found when I did that little bit of lying down and closing my eyes and meditating, it really helped me,” she told Runner’s World. “I was able to extend my 24-hour record by 5 miles.”
Speaking out on women’s health
In an Instagram post, Camille took the time to explain how female-specific health issues have plagued her running journey in recent times. “What I didn’t expect to happen this year was the struggles I would encounter trying to solve my women’s health issues. I’ve mentioned I started noticing things getting weird about 2 1/2 yrs ago (~bad PMS),” she explained in the post.
“I had 3 ultras this year coincide with my PMS/period, when I feel awful,” she continued. “I was hesitant at first to share what I went through. However, I thought well maybe now is the time to talk more openly about women’s health, how we change through life, and the struggles of our period coinciding with a race.”
At Women’s Running, we’re always keen to shine a light on the challenges we face as women and how this can impact us as athletes. Life changes like menopause can change the way you approach your training, and learning how to master your menstrual cycle can help you see huge improvements in both your running performance and your mental health.
