Meet my wonderful and inspiring friend Molly Sheridan of Reno, Nevada. Molly and I met while running the Badwater Ultramarathon through Death Valley, then again the La Ultra 222km at altitude in the Himalayas. She is a truely inspiring woman with an inspiring story.
At 48 years old Molly entered her first marathon. Four weeks into training she injured her foot and was told that she was too old to be running. Taking her own advice, Molly corrected her training, mailed her finish-line picture to the doctor who told her she was old, and decided to challenge herself. As a novice runner, she entered the Rio Del Lago 100-mile Endurance Race. Traversing 100 miles non-stop through northern California, she discovered her love of endurance running, her youthful mind and her adventurous spirit.
In the past 7 years, Molly has run over 50 ultramarathons. In 2009, she completed the extreme running event Marathon Des Sables (MDS), a seven-day, 150-mile stage race across the Sahara Desert. Eight weeks later, Molly completed the 135-mile, non-stop, Badwater Ultramarathon. An invitation-only event, Badwater is considered the toughest footrace on the planet. It begins at Badwater, Death Valley, the lowest point in the continental U.S., and ends at Mt. Whitney portal, a 13,000-foot vertical ascent. The documentary “Molly’s Run,” chronicling her Badwater run, for which she received the coveted buckle for finishing under the 48-hour time limit.
Molly is the first American woman to attempt and complete La Ultra-The High ultra-marathon, a 138-mile non-stop footrace in the Himalayas. La Ultra begins at 14,000 feet, with climbs to 18,000 feet over two passes. The race culminates in the Morey Plains on the border between China and Pakistan. Even though the India Government stated that the race was physically impossible to complete, Molly completed the race August 13, 2011.
Molly is featured among the “Women Who Move” in Women’s Running magazine; on Adventure Woman Radio, Nevada Public Radio KNPR, The Christian Science Monitor; and in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
As an owner of Desert Sky Adventures, a race management company in Las Vegas, Molly encourages others to walk and run for their health. She also speaks to audiences across the country on her exploits and the benefits of running for health and continues to run adventure races and ultra-marathons around the globe.
In this interview we discuss Molly's adventures, the successes and failures and why you should still push your limits even when you are 61.
We would also like to thank the sponsors of this show.
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Lisa Tamati is an a professional ultramarathon runner with over 23 years experiences racing the world's toughest endurance events and leading expeditions. Author of two internationally published running adventure books. She is also a mindset expert. From crossing the Libyan desert on foot to running Death Valley to running the length of NZ for charity, she has been there and done that. For more information on Lisa click here: www.lisatamati.co.nz
Neil Wagstaff is an exercise scientist, coach and ultramarathon runner with over 22 years experience in the health and fitness industry. He has trained hundreds of athletes and coaches alike to the successful completion of their goals.
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