Carolin is a 51-year-old ultra-runner and multi-day stage race specialist, however, this wasn’t always the case. When Caroline was 36 years old, she was a stay at home mum to three daughters. Wanting to feel better in herself, and wanting to get fitter and lose some weight, she started on a journey which would ultimately lead to her becoming an ultra-runner….accidentally!!
She didn’t tell anyone what she was doing, and it was tough going at the start, she started with walking, then gentle jogging and gradually build it up over time to running further and further distance, until she was training for her first marathon! She persevered with it, even through injury and kept on challenging herself more and more. Since then Carolin has gone on to participate in some of the toughest multi-day ultras on the planet, from running the Ice Ultra in the Arctic Circle to the Jungle marathon in Peru.
Show notes
- Living in Calgary in Canada
- Having 2 siblings and doing lots of sports growing up
- An ordinary person who just fell into ultra running and extreme distance sports
- Why she decided to take up running
- As a stay home mum, how she started running with 3 children
- Not telling anyone she was running
- Deciding to do a marathon as her first race
- Dealing with injury and getting the bug for running
- Starting to notice the benefits almost from the start
- Not having any proper equipment
- Celebrating the mini victories along the way
- Never having good body image
- How her confidence built over time as she got stronger
- Not telling her friends
- Running her first marathon at 39 and why it didn’t quite go to plan
- Doing her first triathlon!
- How she trained for her first triathlon
- Why it’s all about the challenge
- Where she gets her determination from?
- Getting burnt out from triathlon
- Doing her first ultra race in California (50K) and coming in last and why it didn’t matter
- The support she has received from the trail running community
- What she thinks about while running
- What training is like
- Training for the Ice Ultra organised by Beyond the Ultimate and why she wanted to do it
- Her race training strategy
- Why gear was so important and why her biggest challenge was keeping her water from freezing
- How she protected her face with buffs
- The high and low points from the race
- The Peru Jungle Ultra - what it is and why she loves it
- Why she has run it 4x
- Being terrified the first time she did the race
- The mental preparation she does before a race
- What she’s feeling on the start line and her race strategy for the Jungle Ultra
- Why she has to break the long stage down into smaller sections
- How she prepared for the heat!
- Her mantra - “Just keep moving forward” and why got it tattooed on her arm
- Her nutrition and diet
- Managing your feet in wet jungle conditions
- Her 3 top tips for the Jungle Ultra
- Wanting to go after a 100 mile race - the reasons why and why she keeps on trying
- The Lost Soul Ultra (100 mile race)
- Mental Health - and why its important to talk about it
- How running has helped your mental health
- Her self care routine
- Her running from home bag
- Her next few races
- Final words of advice
Social Media
Facebook: @accidentalultrarunner
Instagram: @carolinbotterill
Blog: www.accidentalultrarunnerblog.wordpress.com