For Lizzy Hawker endurance has always been a way of life, not only as a sport but also through an enduring passion for the mountains and wilderness. Having trained as an environmental scientist she fell into the world of ultra and endurance running almost by chance.
Over the years, Lizzy has found the courage to challenge herself in many ways and has held the world record for 24 hours on road as well as being the the 100 km World Champion in 2006. She is a 5 time winner of The North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc and in 2013 set a new world record running from Everest Base Camp to Kathmandu. This resulted in Lizzy being named the National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2013.
Lizzy says:
“For me, the most important thing is to run simply for the love of it, with heart and soul as well as head and legs. And then to follow the path that opens up.”
Lizzy has contributed to Like the Wind (you can find her story, The Run in issue 3) with stories about her adventures that are full of love and spirituality. Now she has a book out called simply ‘Runner’. This is a fantastic book that will transport you to the high mountains and give you a deep understanding of the drive that Lizzy has. Highly recommended.
Back in June this year, Lizzy came over to visit us and we hosted ‘An Evening with Lizzy Hawker’ for our Like the Wind readers and all runners who wanted to meet her. Before the event, we chatted to her about her life and new book ‘Runner’ which came about as a mix between a biography and what happens inside the head of a runner.
“Any long run mirrors life, whether it’s the UTMB or running from base camp to Kathmandu…only life is so much more complicated.”
Watch our short video with Lizzy;
You can find out more about Lizzy on her website and follow her on Twitter