Shannon-Leigh Litt is attempting to run an ultra-marathon every day for as long as she can.
Shannon-Leigh Litt is attempting to run an ultra-marathon every day for as long as she can.
As an ultra-marathon runner, Shannon-Leigh Litt has put herself through some pretty gruelling challenges.
Ten years ago, she ran 100 kilometres a day for five days straight while raising money for Shine, a charity that helps women break free of domestic violence.
But the Whangārei-based New Zealand record holder has outdone herself this time, by attempting to run an ultra-marathon every day for as long as she can.
Litt began her journey on January 1 with her first “ultra” in Whangārei, followed by runs in Kerikeri, Rotorua, Hamilton, Mount Maunganui and the Dome Valley trail in Warkworth.
As of Friday, she’d completed 26 ultra-marathons, having run more than 1050km over various types of terrain.
“I’m just aiming to run as many days as I can and taking it day by day,” she said.
“It’s really hard, but really easy in the sense you’re in a routine and the body gets strong and adapts, but every day throws something different, emotionally or mentally – it’s taxing.”
Litt relocated to Whangārei to work as a Crown prosecutor more than two years ago and is now a self-employed criminal defence lawyer.
She was accepted by the Guinness Book of World Records to attempt the ultra-marathon-a-day project six months ago and she’s been planning it ever since.
This week she was back in Whangārei and Kerikeri for more distance running while she works in Kaikohe.
As of Friday, Shannon-Leigh Litt had completed 26 ultra-marathons, and run 1050km over various types of terrain.
Her days are spent running five to six hours each day to complete each ultra-marathon, defined as any running event longer than the traditional marathon length of 42.195km.
She works into the night considering applications from lawyers and does some work online.
While undertaking her mission, she also plans to race the Tarawera ultra trail in Rotorua on February 17.
After that, she’ll spend 100 days running ultras in Thailand, Australia, Singapore, Dubai, Austria, Italy and France.
Though Litt constantly asks herself “why on earth I’m doing this when it’s so hard”, she highlights the “joy of movement” and the benefits of running on her mental health.
“When I’m running I get a lot of clarity with decisions, things become clear, it’s almost like a running meditation.
“You never feel bad after the run. I’m always relieved but I’m always on a high.”
She began running for fitness as a teenager, doing 5km a day.
She got involved in half-marathons and marathons in her 20s and, by her early 30s, was running ultras because she found it beneficial for her mental health.
“I was feeling down and low and found running longer than an hour helped with my mental health and I caught the bug. I became good at it.”
Now in her 40s, she had a “big running season” last year, including one of the toughest adventure races: the 181km Doi Inthanon mountain trail race in Thailand.
For her current mission, she put on weight before she started and eats “real food” such as muesli bars, dates, bread and yoghurt rather than supplement gels. She also does a lot of gym work.
Over the years, Litt has run more than 80 ultra-marathon races in New Zealand and around the world.
Last November, she recorded one of the fastest times for a New Zealand woman over 100km: eight hours and 29 seconds.
Jenny Ling is a news reporter and features writer for the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering health, roading, lifestyle, business, and animal welfare issues.
