Th e words endurance and enjoyment don’t seem a natural pairing, but Marina Ranger is the living embodiment of both, having created an enviable lifestyle that combines extreme running, world travel and personal development

Words Rachel Ifans

Marina Ranger warrior

When Marina Ranger started working in London in her early 20s, she found it hard to balance the needs of corporate city life with her fondness for team sports. She needed something more flexible than a rigid weekly hockey training spot, something that would fit in with other demands on her time. So she took up running… It’s all sounding very familiar so far, isn’t it? She entered a 5K – yep, still oh-so familiar. But that is pretty much where Marina’s path splits from the majority of runners and takes a stratospheric climb.

Marina then completed the London Marathon just three months aft er taking up running. But when you learn that 26.2 miles was just a training run for another, much bigger challenge six months later, you begin to get a feel for the head-spinning speed with which Marina’s running progressed.

In October 2012 she accompanied her boss to South Africa to take part in the Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon (KAEM), a desert foot race which traverses 250km of rocky outcrops, sandy riverbeds and vast grasslands. “It’s a weeklong self-sufficient run in the desert,” explains Marina. “Th at means you have to carry your week’s supply of kit and food and medical equipment on your back.

“Back then I was completely green. I was inexperienced and I remember carrying 11 kilos. I didn’t realise how carrying that much on my back would slow me down – in subsequent races I’ve managed to get it down to 8 kilos.”