Natasha Swartley wasn't particularly sporty growing up - and running certainly didn't feature on her to do list.

Even after she joined the US Navy at just 18, fitness was a punishment for being 'sarcastic' with push-ups and squats proving particularly unpopular.

But Tasha slowly developed a love of fitness and eventually running, ending up being responsible for training 3,000 men under her watch.

By 2019, she had completed her first ultra marathon - a 50-miler which she conquered despite neglecting race nutrition and training on a treadmill.

Tasha has since left the Navy to become a wilderness EMT, but her love of ultra running has blossomed - despite two DNFs at the 100-mile distance.

Running Tales spoke to her about life in the Navy as a high-ranking woman, hauling ammunition across ships and how it prepared her for running long distances, and the power of three little letters: DFQ. 

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