Athletics: One step at a time for long distance runner

You won't often find Lisa Tamati with her feet up.

The Taranaki athlete is seemingly forever on the move, not exactly rushing from one point to another but definitely putting her best foot forward, so to speak.

And now she is about to venture where no New Zealand woman has gone before when she contests one of the world's most punishing events -- the Death Valley ultra-marathon in California.

Tamati will become just the third New Zealander to attempt the 217km race in inhospitable Nevada desert terrain on July 14-16 -- after the late Max Telford in 1982 and Kym (crrct) McConnell four years ago.

Both men lasted the distance but Tamati is under no delusions about her prospects.

Winning at her first attempt is entirely unrealistic and the goal is to trust that her mind and body hold together so she can simply complete the journey within the 60-hour time limit.

She said her role was to "eat like a horse, drink like a fish and run like a tortoise".

A New Plymouth jeweller, Tamati, 39, does not under-estimate what lies in store.

"Physically it's right on the limit so it's about survival," she told NZPA.

"But the biggest battle will be what's going on in your head and trying to cope with the desire to lie down and give up."

Tamati at least has some inkling of the punishment she is about to put herself through.

She has contested a dozen ultra-marathon events, ranging from the 338km Isar Run in Germany to the 242km Marathon Des Sables in Morocco.

As well, she has taken part in numerous 12- and 24-hour races and extreme expeditions such as crossing the Libyan Desert as part of a four-strong expedition team carrying 35kg packs.

Much of her distance running career was forged in Europe where she caught the bug from her former Austrian partner.

She resettled in New Zealand early last year and has continued to pound the roads, finishing second in the national 100km championships in Taupo in 2007 and again this year, while she trod 135km around a 400m track in Auckland last year in a time of 18 hours 15 minutes -- just for the hell of it!.

Death Valley, though, will present a unique challenge principally because of the heat, which can peak at a torturous 55degC.

The 90-strong field, including 22 women, will cover 217km and cross three mountain ranges, going from 85m below sea level at Badwater to 2500m above sea level at the Mt Whitney Portals.

"It is considered the hardest of the hard simply because of the heat.

"Your body tends to shut down in those temperatures and your digestion shuts down due to exhaustion."

There will be no respite from the suffocating heat when darkness falls either.

"It is still 40-45 at 2am so the body will not get a chance to cool down and recover."

One of the most important aspects of the race for Tamati will be to control her fluid intake.

She expects to get through 55 litres of water in a 48-hour schedule in which she plans to complete the race, while she will fuel herself on a high calory milkshake-type drink, electrolyte drinks and tablets, bananas and dates.

Tamati plans to take just three 15-minute power naps during the race and the only other times she will be off her feet will be for comfort stops, the odd massage and to change shoes.

At least she will not be on her own.

Safety is paramount and event rules stipulate that entrants have to have a support crew and a vehicle capable of performing in the conditions.

Her three-man crew will be accompanied by New Zealand ultra distance running legend Sandy Barwick, who set a slew of world marks during a remarkable career in the 1980s and 1990s.

Barwick never ventured to Death Valley, concentrating more on 1500km to 2000km races that took weeks to run.

But her intimate knowledge of the mental and physical strains involved in running vast distances means she is perfectly qualified to help guide Tamati towards her goal.

Tamati said Barwick's presence could be crucial.

"She was part of the inspiration for me to start running. It's a real honour for me to have her as part of my crew.

"She will know what I am going through," she said, stressing that the mental challenge was probably greater than the physical battle.

"There will be times that I will go through what I liken to a mini life crisis. You have the highest highs and the lowest lows plus everything in between.

"Just having someone like her will be a great mental support. She knows what she's talking about."

Tamati has been specifically preparing for Death Valley for the best part of nine months, sticking to a weekly running regime of 160km plus six hours of gym work.

She will not know for certain whether that is enough to see her through next month, but she backs her mental stamina to keep her on her feet.

"I am not a mega, super athlete, but I am very stubborn and strong in the head.

"I'll be very nervous and scared on the start line and it will be a matter of taking one step at a time, one kilometre at a time, and not looking at the whole 217 ahead of me. That would just blow my mind.

"It's a case of coping with the next hour, then the next hour after that."