Getting it done
Ali Young is the only British woman to finish Spartathlon, a 153-mile run from Athens to Sparta in Greece, three times.
Ultra Runner
Ali is honest about what goes through her mind during these events. “I’m not someone who says to myself, ‘Just get in the zone and go with it.’ My head’s always telling me, ‘This is rubbish, this is rubbish. When can I eat again? When can I drink next?’”
It’s no surprise, then, that a zen-like mindset never really kicks in during a race. “At some point in the middle, maybe I find that calm. But when people say they go into meditation, that’s not really me. I’m definitely never in a kind of meditative state. It really is just a hard slog the whole way.”
Riding the waves
It’s not the absence of negative thoughts that eases the pain of each race for Ali – it’s the ability to manage them. “Through experience, I know there are going to be ups and downs. I know it’s going to hurt. I’ll just ride it out and know that it will feel better soon.”
Any strategy is built on practicality rather than philosophy. “There are things I can focus on to make it better. One distraction could be, ‘Oh, let’s bring some music in.’ I like to leave that to a bit later. I’ll put some dance tunes on; that always livens me up. Then there are thoughts like, ‘Do I need more food? Or when’s my next caffeine boost due?’”
Leaning on these distractions is especially important in 24-hour races, where runners compete to cover the greatest distance by repeatedly running laps around a 400-metre track. In this scenario – in contrast to point-to-point races where competitors spread out naturally – there’s no escaping what’s going on around you.
“On a track, you constantly see your competitors. It’s such a mind game. You could stop anywhere. Your crew is always there. The car is always there. It’s a whole other level of mental strength.”
This makes patience crucial: “You can’t start competing too early in a 24-hour event – you risk exhausting yourself mentally, as well as physically. It’s important to run your own race and save the competition for the final four hours.”
“When people say they go into meditation, that’s not really me. I’m definitely never in a kind of meditative state. It really is just a hard slog the whole way.”
Ultimate challenge
Ali didn’t always see herself as someone who’d take on some of the world’s toughest endurance events. “I played hockey in my teens and did a little bit of running for cross country and athletics, but nothing special.” It wasn’t until after having children that she began running more seriously, completing her first marathon at 35.
Like many, it started with shorter races. “The usual progression” – 10ks, half marathons, then the London Marathon. But a special occasion marked a turning point. “I’d seen Marathon des Sables in Runner’s World, and I decided to do that for my 40th birthday. That was going to be it for ultra running.”
But it was an event that triggered a new chapter. “It’s like when you have a baby: this whole world comes to you. It’s the same if you get a dog, you then meet loads of other dogs. It's funny, isn’t it? I was meeting lots of people who had done crazy stuff.”
When someone mentioned a 24-hour race, Ali initially dismissed the suggestion, but the idea had quietly taken root: “You’re told about things that you don’t even realise you’ve absorbed, but they’re stored away in your subconscious.”
In the end, it was the purity of the race that proved compelling: “It’s the ultimate challenge. It’s simply: how far can you run in 24 hours?”
Ali Young on track.
Adapting on the go
Ali went on to qualify for Great Britain in her first attempt at a 24-hour race, and credits her initial success, in part, to naivety. “It started with the simple thought of, ‘Oh, I wonder what I can do’. I wasn’t worrying about anyone else; I was focused on my own race. I feel the pressure now, but I’m more experienced. I know what to expect.
“I’m proud of what I’ve done, but you can’t take yourself too seriously,” she adds. “If people take a certain race too seriously, if they put everything into it, they can end up exhausted. I kind of go with the flow.”
While other competitors may have obsessed over qualifying times, Ali chose curiosity over stress. She’s since competed in two World Championships and two European Championships, with a personal best of 139.51 miles within a single 24-hour period.
“I’m not considering that I’m going to stop. You sign up to a race; you make an intention; and you finish the job.”
More than mileage
But there’s much more to running than mileage. Many of Ali’s races have supported charitable causes, from Alzheimer’s Society to Arctic One, a foundation that provides opportunities to help people with disabilities get involved in sport. This year, for the 2025 London Marathon, she raised funds for cancer care specialists Maggie’s in memory of her dad.
“All I’ve got to do is run a track or a route. I can do that. All those people who can’t run... they would love to be doing what I’m doing. That gives you a massive reason to keep going. People don’t realise that a good deed gives you a huge kick. It works both ways. Kindness is a big circle.”
Having this why means that quitting is never an option, even in the toughest of races: “I’m not considering that I’m going to stop. You sign up to a race; you make an intention; and you finish the job.”
It’s not always serious, either. As well as raising money for Maggie’s, Ali set a new Guinness World Record at the 2025 London Marathon, finishing the race in 3 hours and 26 minutes in a penguin costume, a nod to a favourite animal of her dad’s. It’s officially the fastest time recorded by a female marathon runner in the bird category.
Anyone can do it
There’s no runner’s high or any special mental technique to reach the finish line – Ali’s approach is straightforward and down to earth. It’s perhaps key to why she’s still qualifying for Great Britain a decade later.
“No one cares,” she says. “Running doesn’t define me. My friends and family love me for me. I’m not going to lose anything by not doing well. It’s just a case of cracking on and getting it done.”
As Ali prepares for the next series of challenges – including the notorious Badwater Ultramarathon through Death Valley in July, where temperatures can exceed 50 degrees Celsius, and a third World Championship in October – there’s no space for overthinking or overtraining. What matters is simply showing up prepared and letting the race unfold.
“As long as I do my best and really feel in good shape at the start line, what will be, will be. It’s best not to overthink these things.”
And one final thought reaches far beyond running: “If you had to get a message to a loved one who is ill, you would go as far as you needed to. We can all do it, if we have to.”
