The Edge Is Rarely Where You Think It Is | Tammy Lovett - Athlete Blog Q&A

How did you first discover trail and ultra running, and what keeps you coming back to it?

I spent much of my twenties travelling. I've walked across countries and cycled across continents. I spent years wandering through wild corners of the world with everything I owned in a backpack or a pannier bag.

I loved adventure and the way it challenged me physically, socially, and emotionally, forcing me to adapt and find a way through whatever came next.

When I eventually moved back home to Australia I realised I still needed that sense of challenge and adventure. Ultra running became the place where I could find it.

Backyard ultras have become a huge part of your journey. What do you love most about this style of racing?

Backyards are an exercise in self-negotiation.

Rarely are we given the chance to decide when we're done. Most races decide that for us. In a backyard, the decision is entirely yours, and that battle in your mind is fascinating, frustrating and revealing. You constantly have to ask yourself: Am I really finished? Is this all I've got to give? Will I be happy with this decision tomorrow?

The uncomfortable truth is that you'll always wonder if you had one more lap in you. That's what keeps you coming back.

That's what I love most about the format. It's not really about running (ok, well maybe a little bit). It's about learning who you are when quitting is an option every single hour.

What has been your proudest running achievement so far, and why does it stand out to you?

I've discovered that the edge is rarely where you think it is.

Last year I ran 38 yards (254 km) at Red's Backyard Ultra.

That race taught me just how close you can come to the edge and still find a way to take another step. Another yard, another yard, another yard.

I went into the event carrying a virus and later miscalculated my salt intake. There were hours of vomiting, nausea and feeling really bloody awful.

But what got me there in the end wasn't toughness. It was people.

The thing I love most about ultra running is that complete strangers become teammates. People I had been competing against hours earlier were suddenly offering me food, lending me gear and helping crew me towards my goal. There aren't many sports where your competitors genuinely want to see you succeed and help get you there.

Returning from injury can be challenging both physically and mentally. What have you learnt through this recovery period?

I'm painfully impatient, which makes injury and recovery a tedious experience.

In March I went into Herdy's Frontyard Ultra without knowing the niggle in my quad was actually a femoral shaft stress fracture. I finished as the last woman standing after a painful 30 hours, but I didn't reach my goal, and that was difficult to reconcile. Then the diagnosis meant crutches and months without running.

As runners, we often measure ourselves in kilometres, training weeks and race results. Suddenly losing that can feel like losing part of your identity. I'd love to say recovery has taught me patience, but that lesson is still very much a work in progress.

What I have learned is that injury forces you to look under rocks and down the back of the couch for answers. And when you're forced to look in unexpected places, you often discover things you've been missing all along.

What advice would you give to someone considering stepping into their first ultra marathon or backyard ultra?

You don't need to be fearless, and you don't need to have everything figured out. Nobody really does.

Ultra running isn't about being extraordinary. It's about becoming comfortable with uncertainty and learning to solve problems one at a time.

Everybody you see in this sport once stood on a start line wondering if they belonged there and whether they could do it.