My Running Life She’s

CAFFEINE p34 + CRUSHING HILLS p38

MY RUNNING LIFE

NEWS, VIEWS, TRENDS and ORDINARY RUNNERS doing EXTRAORDINARY THINGS

MIGHTY MEG

With a big move to the capital of trail in Europe, and a shift in focus to longer races, SA trail star Meg Mackenzie is changing things up to take on the best in the world.

MMeg Mackenzie’s entire family loves running, so it's been a way of life for her since junior school.

It all started with crosscountry, from when she was really young until the end of high school. She pressed the pause button briefly during her university years; but since then Mackenzie's been one of South Africa’s top women in trail running, with a focus on distances up to the marathon. In 2019 she claimed an impressive third place on the podium at the tremendously tough Pikes Peak Marathon (Colorado, USA), and last year placed ninth at the CCC [Courmayeur-ChampexChamonix, sometimes referred to as UTMB's ‘Little Sister’ – Ed.], in Chamonix, France. This last illustrates how Mackenzie's shifting to the longer distances in trail running, and she's exhilarated by what she feels she can achieve. “I've gone from running junior school cross-country to 100km races in 30 years! That's pretty cool,” says Mackenzie from her new home in Chamonix, France. We asked her what the future holds for her, her running, and the run-coaching business she and a partner have created.

LEFT: Saluting the sun. Mackenzie is happiest when she's running.

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Proud of what she's done already – excited for what's yet to come.

Runner’s World: You’re now based in the iconic town of Chamonix under the shadow of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps. What are your plans from here?

Meg Mackenzie: To keep doing what I love, over here. It's the Mecca of trail running and outdoor sports. Chamonix has everything I could ever want, and I really want to grow as a person and an athlete in this environment. There's so much to learn over here – all the different winter sports, and climbing…

I think the opportunities are endless, and exciting, and I really want to stay present to whatever pops up for me in the future. Life’s exciting right now.

RW Why did you make the move?

MM Chamonix has been my happy place for a few years now. I used to visit every summer to race; and it occurred to me that if I could make it happen, living in my happy place would be a good idea. So here I am – learning French, and navigating my way through this very new lifestyle.

RW This year, you’ve transitioned to longer distances than usual. Is this your new strategy, or an experiment?

MM A little bit of both. I think everything in life is experimental to an extent, and I’m curious about how different distances feel and what lessons these new, longer races can teach me.

I also think it's exciting to switch things up a bit. I did the Golden Trail Series for four years in a row, so it felt like a good time to transition into something new and refreshing.

RW Two impressive top-10 finishes this year – it seems to be working out. Is it?

MM Ohhh… I'm pretty hard on myself, so I never really feel satisfied with my results. But I think, objectively, it's been a steep learning curve; and I'd like to think I've learnt a lot from each event to apply to future races. Looking forward, I do believe that my best days are ahead.

RW Who do you train with – coffee with, baguette with, gelato with – in the Alps?

MM There’s such a fun group of people in the valley. I train a lot with the Swedes, Mimmi [Kotka] and Ida [Nilsson] (when she's in town); Fernanda

[Maciel], my new The North Face teammate; and a group of super-strong Americans.

I love the different perspectives on training, and I get to learn a lot. Chamonix is such a hub for trail running that there's always someone passing through who wants to go for a run or a coffee, so I get to see loads of friends from the trail community all the time. It's great.

RW How’s it working out being a coach and a racer?

MM It's interesting. I think it's a good combo, and it will be even better when I'm finished with racing as seriously as I am now.

I learn so much from experience, and it's really awesome to be able to share that with the athletes that we coach. I learn so much from the athletes that I coach too, and I often draw on their wisdom and experiences. It works both ways.

RW Can you explain your coaching format, as well as your goals and aspirations with the Run Project business?

MM At The Run Project we coach each person in a completely individual way; we don't write general training programmes. Instead, we get to know each athlete: their lifestyles, personalities, time constraints, goals, motivations, etc. And we coach them in the way that’s best suited to them.

We communicate with our athletes every day; so while it's online, it's very hands-on and holistic. I've had a coach since I started in 2012, and recently started with a new one. I think working with the right coach is a game changer. mountaineering – Ed.], and will be trying some cross-country skiing too. It would be a shame to miss out on the opportunity to explore these mountains in the snow. They’re so beautiful, and I think it'll be super-good cross-training for trail running.

RW You have a new sponsor this year. Is this something you worked hard on, as a vital part of your success? Or something that just fortuitously fell into place?

MM I worked hard! Sponsors aren't easy to come by. It's almost a full-time job, keeping up with everything important for getting and keeping a sponsor. Results are just a tiny piece of the puzzle; it takes a lot of time and effort, working with brands.

It definitely helps, having a sponsor; I can take more time for recovery, and get a lot of input from teammates about training, racing and mental preparation.

Results are just a tiny piece of the puzzle...

RW Will you hop from summer to summer, or are you preparing to adapt to running in snow over the winters in the north?

MM I'm definitely planning on learning winter sports. I have skimo aspirations [ski The North Face is a great team to be part of – because I get a lot of input from my teammates who do other sports, like free skiing, snowboarding, alpinism and climbing.

RW How professional and substantial do you feel trail racing is worldwide, as a sport? Do you feel the growth, from the perspective of your involvement at so many levels?

MM There’s been enormous growth over my career. It's easy to forget about how it was at the beginning; but when I look back, it's mindblowing how much and how fast the sport is growing.

In the Chamonix valley alone it's becoming one of the more popular sports and attractions, which – when you think about the variety here, like skiing and paragliding, to name only a few – is huge.

The variety of sponsors is growing, and the depth of talent is off the charts right now. It's really exciting to be part of it all.

FAVE PRODUCTS YOU'RE USING RIGHT NOW

1 / The North Face, from top to toe 2 / 30 South sunnies

3 / Coros Apex Pro watch 4 / Maurten Nutrition

5 / Moonvalley bars and High5 energy gels.

CURRENTLY TRAINING FOR

The 2022 season!

BEST RUN OF YOUR LIFE (SO FAR) ?

Pikes Peak 2019

ON THE BUCKET LIST

Western States 100

HARDEST RUN OF YOUR LIFE?

CCC 2021

WIZARD STICKS ARE MAGIC BECAUSE… …they make you look like a …they make you look like a space alien when running – space alien when running – especially when used with especially when used with head torch, full hydration head torch, full hydration pack and calf socks! pack and calf socks!

BREAD OR NO BREAD? NO BREAD?

Bread :)

BEST ADVICE

WE ARE ALL STARDUST WITH DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR. NONE OF THIS STUFF – RACING – MATTERS, EXCEPT THE MEMORIES WE MAKE.

YOUR DREAM RUNNING PARTNER, FROM ANY TIME PERIOD?

Any and all dogs.

Biggest way running needs to change?

Body image and mental health need to be addressed.

Ice bath or celebratory drinks after the race? First ice bath, then drinks!

Biggest challenge you’ve faced?

Moving to a foreign country in the middle of a pandemic!

Favourite cross-training sport?

Biking and strength work, for now. Soon, skiing!