1 min readIn an effort to show young girls what’s possible, ultramarathoner and pain scientist Donna Urquhart is training to set a world record for the longest polar ultramarathon on foot (female), according to 7News in Australia.
Urquhart will attempt to break the record—1,200 kilometers or 745 miles—currently held by Pat Farmer on December 4 of this year, according to her team’s website, Run Antarctica. The run will take place at Union Glacier Camp in Antarctica, which is considered the coldest, driest, windiest desert in the world.
In order to prepare herself, Urquhart, who is an associate professor at Monash University specializing in pain, logs training runs on a treadmill in a shipping container constructed by Titan Containers—at -40 degrees Celsius, which also happens to be -40 degrees Fahrenheit.
When speaking to Urquhart about her training setup, 7News host Monique Wright called the shipping container, “horrific.”
“That might be more horrific than the other one,” Wright said, referring to a separate, slightly warmer container that’s set at -5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit).
“That’s a proper freezer,” co-host and Olympic sprinter Matt Shirvington added.
Urquhart wants to show young girls what they can do when they participate in sports, while also raising money for her charity partners. “I love exploring what’s possible,” Urguhart told 7News. “What’s possible for humans, and also what’s possible for females.”
Heather is the former food and nutrition editor for Runner’s World, the author of The Runner’s World Vegetarian Cookbook, and a nine-time marathoner with a best of 3:23. She’s also proud of her 19:40 5K and 5:33 mile. Heather is an RRCA certified run coach.
