shona finished her first marathon in 2010, combining a run of the world-famous New York event with a business trip. Little did she know within three years she would have run six more top marathons worldwide – one on each of the other six continents.
Each continent’s marathon presented its own challenges, from the first in New York, to the extra distance of the Comrades Ultra Marathon in South Africa, to the sweltering heat and 80 percent humidity of the final Da Nang Marathon in Vietnam, just weeks after finishing her previous gruelling 26-mile event in Perth, Australia.
All this while holding down a job as an investment banker in the City of London. “Monday mornings were tough when I’d got up at 5am to run in to work, or put in an 18-mile weekend training ride,” says Shona. But I need challenges in my life.”
“Running in Antarctica was unforgettable – you know you’re in for an adventure when you fly in by Soviet warplane and the pre-race briefing centres on frost-bite, lost fingers, hypothermia, snow blindness and crevasses.”
2014 was just as big, with Shona running the North Pole Marathon, quitting her day job and setting herself up as a coach, motivational speaker and mentor, inspiring everyone from young women to sedentary execs to “get off the couch and get active”.
Next up, at the end of January, Shona is joining record-breaking ultra marathon runner and fellow Scot Dr Andrew Murray to run the inaugural Genghis Khan Ice Marathon. “We’ll run along a frozen river in Outer Mongolia plagued by wolves, bears, and temperatures of -40C.” It’s pretty likely this will be another ‘unforgettable’ experience…
