She should be a household name. Yet Lizzy Hawker, five-time winner of the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB), has chosen to remain something of a mystery. Until now. After releasing a book last year, this most private of athletes offered readers a glimpse into what running and life means to her. As she tells MR, reaching the finish line is nice, but the true joy of running is to be found in the journey.
In your book, Runner, you make running 100 miles in the mountains sound rather easy. Is it?
If you are well trained, then yes, running long distances is what your body is used to. When you are very well adapted, it does feel relatively easy. Obviously everyone has hard patches in every race, and that is where mental strength is important to be able to pull yourself through. But, physically, if your body is well adapted to long distance effort, then the physical strain is actually not so much and you can recover surprisingly quickly.
You’re arguably best known for your five wins at the UTMB. What’s the key to running long in the mountains?
Time on your feet. Whether that is through long runs, or long days hiking in the mountains, or mountaineering. It is really just about being used to long days on your feet and the ability to keep going.
What’s the greatest lesson running has taught you?
Humility.
You’ve talked about “running with your heart and soul, as well as your legs.” What do you mean by that?
I mean never losing sight of the reason I run, which is simply for the love of it. And letting that guide me, whether in training or racing.
You often beat many of the top male runners in the races you enter. Is that a motivating factor for you?
For me, the competition is very much deep within myself. I am just motivated by trying to do the best that I can – wherever that puts me in the field, male or female.
What was your greatest ever run?
I can’t single out one run – for me it isn’t only about the victory or the competition. In the end, it isn’t just about the race – it’s about the journey, the preparation, the in-between, the exploration. I have many ambitions, both with competition and long mountain challenges. But the most important thing to me now is learning to share with others the joy I have found in running.
Runner: A Short Story About a Long Run by Lizzy Hawker was published by Aurum Press, priced £12.99.
