Broadening our metrics for how we assess our race performance can be beneficial and even liberating. Beyond covering the full distance of the event, there are many ways to walk away, look back and feel successful.
Training for and running ultramarathons taught me that I had the ability to achieve things I once thought were impossible. They taught me to pace myself, adjust my expectations and problem-solve on the fly. They taught me that pain is tough, but I am tougher, and being alone in the forest taught me where I feel most at peace.
A six-time Badwater 135 finisher who has set the age-group course record four times, Pamela Chapman Markle has returned again and again to the Keys 100.
Who can say they were able to spend 14 hours with their mom while participating in a sport that they love? That’s just what I did during Blackbeard’s Revenge 100-miler.
I wasn’t supposed to run again. Not really. I had a stent in my aorta—a rare thing for an active woman in her 30s. The doctors never sent me to cardiac rehab, so I had to figure it out myself. I started with walking. Then walking became jogging. Then, slowly, running.
Throughout my running career, I’ve had amazing adventures, opportunities to test my limits and travel all over the country for races, gained friends and made stronger connections. I even met my husband through trail running. More importantly, the trails and the community who shares them, have been my emotional support for years and helped me through many tough times.