Woman Who Ran From Singapore To Thailand, Covering 1,000 Kms In 12 Days, Says Heat Melted Her Shoes

Ultramarathoner Natalie Dau, aged 52, recently accomplished an incredible feat by running 1,000 kilometres across Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore in a span of 12 days. She persevered through scorching heat and a significant hip injury and endured other difficulties like shoes melting due to heat and covered the equivalent of two marathons daily, ending her journey in Singapore on June 5.

She set the Singapore record for the “Fastest 1,000km Thailand-Singapore Ultramarathon” and is awaiting a certification from Guinness World Records for the “Fastest Crossing of Peninsular Malaysia on Foot”.

“Today is the first time in four days I have questioned if I would actually finish this thing. I love the challenge of the sport, love the rawness of it all, but hate these low points. And they come often,” Dau was quoted as saying by BBC.

“Whether you come in first or last, it doesn’t matter. You’ve done something almost superhuman, something that 0.05% of the world’s population will never do,” she said, adding that her run raised over $50,000 for the global charity GRLS, which supports women and girls through sports.

She told Singapore-based newspaper the Straits Times that while running in temperatures as high as 35°C her shoes melted and a hip injury kept nagging her since day 1 of the ultramarathon.

On the third day, she developed a urinary tract infection but despite these adversities she covered at least 84 kilometres, seeing through the challenges that appeared before her.

Natalie Dau is an ultra-runner, someone who competes in races longer than the standard marathon distance of 42.2 kilometres. Interestingly, she didn’t begin her athletic journey until her late 30s, when she started participating in races with the goal of improving her fitness. Ultra-running requires not only physical endurance but also mental strength to tackle distances far beyond those of traditional marathons.

“The finish line is so far away, you can’t envisage it. I couldn’t even see the end-of-the-day finish line… You have to get your head mentally in the zone without knowing what that finish line looks like,” she further added.

Dau kept her supporters and news broadcaster BBC updated through nightly voice messages. Ultra-running requires planning and their report said that her team was instrumental in her success as they provided essential support, ensured safety and planned the logistics.