Marathon des Sables, also known as MdS or the Sahara Marathon, is a seven-day ultramarathon of 250 kilometres in the Sahara Desert. It’s one of the toughest foot races, and its 2021 edition is considered the toughest with around a 50% dropout!

In this episode, Hazel Harrison joins us to recount her experience leading to and during the marathon. Ultramarathons are already tough, but with people coming out of lockdowns, it became even more challenging! Hazel shares her success was in being able to ask for help, staying resilient and learning to listen to her body.

If you want to learn more about running your best in an ultramarathon, then this episode is for you!

 

Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:

1. Discover Hazel’s journey to the Marathon de Sables and how she stayed firm in her decision despite the cancellations.
2. Understand how the marathon was even more challenging since it took place during a pandemic.
3. Learn valuable lessons from Hazel’s Marathon de Sables experience!

 

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Resources

• Gain exclusive access and bonuses to Pushing the Limits Podcast by becoming a patron! 
• Marathon des Sables 
• Have a listen to previous episodes mentioned:
• • Episode 229: Cancer Treatments: Starve Cancer, Be Free From It with Jane McLelland 
• How to Starve Cancer by Jane McLelland
• Lore of Running by Timothy Noakes
• Connect with Hazel: Website | Facebook | LinkedIn | Email

Episode Highlights [01:59] Hazel’s Experience with the Marathon des Sables

• Hazel is a businesswoman running a dog daycare, business coaching, and run coaching. She is also a former army nurse.
• Hazel shares that she first dreamed of joining the Marathon de Sables back in 1986. It was only in 2018 that she committed to join the 2020 marathon.
• Six months before the marathon, she found out that she had stage 3 melanoma.
• Four weeks before the marathon, it was cancelled and moved to September due to the pandemic.
• Hazel shares that she was losing motivation and was even over-trained from all the cancellations. 

[09:39] How to Help Your Body Perform at its Best 

• Hazel shares that Lisa’s epigenetics program helped her mentally and physically by pinpointing the best time for her to exercise.
• Her routine was based on her time with the army. The program helped her adjust based on her body’s needs.
• She also took NMN and PerfectAmino to help heal her hamstring.

[12:38] Hazel’s Journey to the Marathon

• Travelling during the pandemic was a whole different story. The marathon required full vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test for participants to join.
• There were only 672 participants since people were still hesitant to travel during the pandemic. 
• The heat in the Sahara desert was oppressive and slowed down Hazel’s body. 
• She even nearly ran out of water before the first checkpoint, and she was drinking faster than she should have.
• There is also the danger of hyponatremia in marathons.

[22:53] Day 2 and Day 3 

• Day 2 and 3 were at 55.6 degrees, and people were dropping out due to hyperthermia. 
• A runner also passed away on the second day.
• By the third day, Hazel was not feeling well and had gastro pains. 
• She was reminded to not be afraid to reach out for help and asked to stay with 2 teammates for the long day.

[34:04] How Hazel Performed Beyond 50k

• Hazel was able to get a second wind once she went past 50k. 
• Around 50% dropped out, leaving only 351 people who finished the marathon.
• The Marathon des Sables was challenging due to the heat. People had to keep on adjusting their plans. 
• The lockdowns also compromised the immune systems of many individuals.

[40:26] Learning from Experience

• Fear can impact people’s stress levels, immune systems, and coping abilities. 
• A 50% dropout is not typical in ultramarathons. For the Marathon de Sables, it was normally at 5%.
• Ultramarathons teach you to be self-sufficient and reliant.

[44:15] Hazel’s Transition After the Marathon

• The marathon forced people to live simple lives and appreciate the things we usually take for granted. 
• Hazel shares that she ordered a spin bike upon returning. This exercise also helped her process the experience. 
• She is also currently writing a book about the marathon.

[52:47] Stay Focused

• Running ultramarathons is a lot like dealing with diseases like cancer. You need to stay focused and resilient.
• After the third cancellation, Hazel needed to reset and rediscover the joy of running.
• Training is not about being able to run 90k per week, Every run should have a purpose.

About Hazel

Hazel Harrison is an ultrarunner who recently participated in Marathon de Sables. She is also a certified breath coach and a certified professional transformational coach with over 30 years of experience. Hazel specialises in directional coaching, business coaching and mentoring teenager coaching, team coaching, bespoke leadership and team workshops.. She is also the owner of Nose2tail Doggy Daycare in New Zealand. 

Want to learn more about Hazel’s work? Check out her website. 

You can also connect with her through Facebook, LinkedIn, or email.

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To pushing the limits,

Lisa