First woman ever to complete sadistic torture race describes hallucinations after 60 hours without no sleep
Jasmin Paris, who became the first ever female to complete an ultramarathon, said she experienced hallucinations.
The 40-year-old senior veterinary lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, became the first woman to complete the 100-mile ultramarathon in under 60 hours.
She completed the challenge in Tennessee on Friday March 22, and collapsed in a heap just after the finish line.
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Since 1989, over 1,000 people have attempted the Barkley Marathons in Frozen Head State Park, but only 20 have ever finished the course.
It is 100 miles long, including 16,500 metres of elevation, which to put into perspective, is just like climbing Everest twice... just your standard afternoon stroll.
In addition, all of this has to be completed within a 60-hour time limit.
No wonder Jasmin was seeing things!
She completed the challenge within 59 hours, 58 minutes and 21 seconds – 99 seconds before the cut-off time.
Talking to the Guardian, she said: “It’s not the fact that it’s 100 miles that’s the problem – it’s about the terrain.
“Immediately after we set off we went up a slope so steep that at times my foot would slide back down, and I would have to go again.
“There were a couple of places we were climbing on our bellies.
“And this year, there was also a new section that used to be used for hillside mining, it was all covered in brambles so our legs got slashed to pieces.”
Just to add to the torture, there is no time for sleep, apart from a three minute power nap that is allowed before the last five loops.
Jasmin said that this was what led to her hallucinations.
She said: “I saw quite a lot of people in black macintoshes.
“They were climbing the same hill as me, always a certain distance ahead.
“And it was bizarre, they all had a sinister foreboding feel to them.
“I always see animals in races like these too.
“There were trees that looked like a mountain lion, or a big dog, or pigs lying down, until I got closer.”
And this wasn’t her first ultramarathon, she had attempted this very one twice before.
She said: “It’s the toughest thing I have ever done.
“Afterwards I just dropped.
“I needed to breathe for five minutes hard before I corrected because I’ve never been so oxygen deficient.”
It seemed as though bananas served her really well whilst she was taking on the mammoth climb, as well as cheese and pickle sandwiches, pizza, frittata, Snickers and flapjacks.
Her next event is the Scottish Island Peaks race, which includes running and sailing, and will take place in May.
The grind never stops for this superwoman!
Topics: Health, Mental Health, Marathon
Mia Williams