55-year-old ultra runner and mother of two going for Trans America record
An American ultra record which has existed for over 36 years is being challenged this spring. Lisa Smith-Batchen, a seasoned and well-known U.S. ultra runner (who also happens to be a mother of two) is hoping to break the trans America record which has been untouched since 1980.
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To do that, Smith-Batchen, 55, has to better the time of 46 days, eight hours and 36 minutes. That will mean running an average of 66 miles a day (106 kilometres) as she travels eastward from Santa Monica, California to Brooklyn. Her plan is to reach New York by June 9. The total distance on her route is 3,100 miles.
Smith-Batchen lives in Jackson, Wyoming and is running for the Tyler Robinson Foundation– a charity which raises funds for families of children living with cancer. She is hoping that her running will help bring strength to others who are struggling.
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Running ultra distances is something that Smith-Batchen has proved to be well capable of doing. She has spent a year planing this cross-country venture and prior to this, she was the first woman to win the Marathon de Sables (which she did in 1999). In 2010, she ran 50 miles in 50 states in a 62-day time frame. More recently, the runner completed the Badwater course four times in 15 days. She has also entered Badwater 11 times in total.
To date, she has run 35 ultras, 90 marathons as well as having completed five Ironmans.
“At the end of my life, I don’t want to be known for being a runner or teacher or any other accomplishments that come my way,” she writes on her personal website. “I just want to be known for the kind heart I have.”
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