Local PT to brave 135-mile Death Valley marathon

Friday 04 February 2022

A Jersey-based personal trainer is aiming to become both the first Irishwoman and Channel Islander to complete one of the world’s “top races”, which will see her cover three mountain ranges in 50⁰C heat.

Leanne Rive is to take on the Badwater 135, an ultra-marathon covering 135 miles of non-stop foot racing from Death Valley, the hottest and driest place in North America, right up to Whitney Portal.

No stranger to a challenge, having completed "tons of half-marathons and marathons", it was coming top in Jersey's 'Round the Rock' ultra-marathon that sparked a desire to engage in a more extreme challenges.

After doing some more, Leanne started to think that ultra-marathons were suited to her.

"I thought, maybe I'm built for this, maybe this is kind of my distance."

Pictured: Leanne has completed over 40 races in the past decade.

It was that drive that inspired her to push herself further over the years, taking on scores more extreme races ranging from the Costwold Century, where she finished as third lady, to Tor Des Geantes ("one of the big mountain races") and the Spartathalon Greece three years ago, which saw her scoop tenth lady in a race spanning Athens to Sparta.

"When I first started running I never dreamt that I would get myself to that start line, but in 2019 I was there," she remarked of her Greek experience.

Having just returned from another hundred-miler last weekend, Leanne's attentions are now firmly focused on summer, when she'll compete in "one of the top races in the world", the Badwater 135, which will take place from 11 to 13 July.

She explained the Badwater Committee Board are "selective", going through a process where they pick 100 people - 50 who have done it before, and 50 rookies, with each runner having to hand in a CV and prove they've completed similar feats, to prove their ability.

In 2020, she was one of the 100 selected, but covid put a halt to plans. Now, the race is back up and running, and so is Leanne.

Pictured: Leanne at Tor Des Geants.

Hill training has made up much of her preparation regime to ready her for the 4,450 metre climb the race will entail.

However, "more importantly", she is preparing her body for the severe heats of the valley.

"The distance itself, the 135 miles - that doesn't scare me, I feel I can manage that quite well," she commented.

"It's just the heat which everybody says, until you go out to Death Valley, you'll not know anything like it.

"So, for my training, I'll be wearing lots of layers. I'll try and do some training in the sauna, hot baths... just getting uncomfortable in the heat."

She will be accompanied by two good friends to be her crew and look after her, as well as a third in America too, which is mandatory to ensure safety.

She is currently raising sponsorship funds for it, with IQ-EQ already supporting her to help cover the race entry fee, flights and accommodation, support crew, logistics support, medical costs, insurance, and race kit.

She recently gave a talk on goal-setting as part of the company's internal training and development programme for women.

"She’s a true inspiration, proving that, if you focus on your goals, you can reach them, no matter the barriers. She’s completed races before where she’s gotten lost, battled injury and illness, been chased by dogs, cows and wild boar – yet she never quits. That lesson has implications for all our teams well beyond racing," Managing Director Benjamin Newman commented.

To raise further funds to cover her expenses, Leanne has also organised a quiz night at Rojo to be held fittingly on St Patrick's Day, 17 March.

She is also planning to set up a website and Facebook page, where people will be able to sponsor her and get a message read out to her by her crew at different points during the challenge.

Summing up the thrill of ultra-running, Leanne described it as being "as human as you can get to."

"These days we're so pampered and cosy and secure - you know when you're going to be fed next, you know when you're going to sleep next.

"And it's about putting yourself out in a situation where you're on your own, you've got to manage yourself, you've got to get to A to B, and you might not have slept, you might not have eaten.

"You've got to get your head around those things, and it's the challenge, it's going into the unknown and seeing if you can come out of it alive."

She added: "It's always safe though, just in case my mother reads!"