Ep 57: Kate Sanderson shares her harrowing experience being burnt by a forest fire during an ultramrathon

Kate Sanderson, is a rather, shy, introverted Australian girl, who loved nothing more than to run ultramarathons but one particular ultramarathon in the Kimberleys in Western Australia was to change her life forever. 

Kate shares her horrifying story of seeing a wall of fire coming towards her and a small group of other runners including the famous Turia Pitt as they ran through a gorge,

Each runner tried a different way to escape the flames, two managed to get out unhurt, another two suffered burns to 20% of their bodies and Turia and Kate unfortunately got his the worse and were burnt over 60% of their bodies. 

Kate lost half a foot, the tendons on her hands melted as she tried to protect her face with her hands and her arms and legs were severely burnt. For 4 long hours they hung on for dear life while waiting for rescue. What ensued was another 6 months of intense rehab, skin grafts and operations and years of recovery. 

Now 7 years on Kate is back doing what she loves, doing ultras all over the world even conquering the infamous Marathon des Sables a 240km race across the Moroccan Sahara last year and the Grand to Grand in the USA and that despite not being able to regulate her temperature properly.

Next up is a 316km ultra in New Zealand the Alps 2 Ocean. 

In this incredibly rare interview Kate shares her very private journey and I had the privilege to interview this incredibly strong woman. 

We would also like to thank the sponsors of this show. 

Running Hot Coaching: 

The online training platform run by Lisa Tamati and Neil Wagstaff. 

Do you have a dream to run a big race, maybe a half marathon, a marathon or even an ultramarathon?

Have you struggled to fit in the training in your busy life?

Maybe you don't know where to start or perhaps you have done a few races but keep having motivation or injuries troubles?

Do you want to beat last years time or finish at the front of the pack?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then we can help you.

We promise to get you to the start line in the best shape ever! We will give you the benefit of our years of knowledge and experience in competing and training athletes, so you can avoid the mistakes, train efficiently, have fun and stay in optimal health while you are doing it.

So who are we?

Lisa Tamati is an a professional ultramarathon runner with over 25 years experiences racing the world's toughest endurance events and leading expeditions. Author of two internationally published running adventure books. She is also a mindset expert. From crossing the Libyan desert on foot to running Death Valley to running the length of NZ for charity, she has been there and done that. For more information on Lisa click here: www.lisatamati.co.nz

Neil Wagstaff is an exercise scientist, coach and ultramarathon runner with over 22 years experience in the health and fitness industry. He has trained hundreds of athletes and coaches alike to the successful completion of their goals.  For more info or to download our free run training ecourse go to www.runninghotcoaching.com/running-success

Training Tilt software - a complete toolkit for trainers, health and fitness professionals, coaches and nutritionists, combine your website, ecommerce needs, client communication and training plans into one easy to use platform. Find out more at www.lisatamati.co.nz/trainingtilt

 

The Path of an Athlete - Mindset academy. An in-depth online programme that teaches you how to develop mental toughness, resilience, leadership skills, a never quit mentality, mental wellbeing and the keys for success in anything you set your mind to.

Do you wish you had the mental toughness of an extreme athlete? Do you seek the confidence to deal with any threat, to steer any situation or challenge to a positive outcome?

If so, you can now learn the secrets to mental toughness and to developing a never quit mindset from someone who has been there and done that and lived to tell the tale.

For more information go to www.lisatamati.co.nz/ecourse

 

 

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