Elisabet Barnes – Endurance and the Desert

 Elisabet Barnes is an incredibly successful multi-stage ultra-distance runner, having won the gruelling Marathon des Sables twice among many other achievements. After winning the Marathon Des Sables (MDS) in 2015, Elisabet decided to take a risk and leave her busy London job to work as a full-time running coach! Ultrarunner magazine caught up with Elisabet to hear all about her incredible journey and pick her brain for a few top tips! 

Starting her running journey early on in life, Elisabet completed her first marathon by 2002, developing a love for long-distance running and a craving to improve her personal best (PB). In 2011 she started competing in Ultramarathons after hearing people talk about going beyond the marathon distance

In 2010 Elisabet’s father sadly passed away, leaving her grief-stricken and reflecting on her own life. Elisabet recalls a ‘wake up call’, sensing that it was time to re-evaluate what she was doing with her life and what it was that she wanted to get out of it! Elisabet began looking for something that would “make her feel alive” and aid her in the heavy process of grief.

Elisabet stumbled across the MDS while watching a documentary on James Cracknell and instantly knew that the 250km dart across the desert was going to be an adventure that she was going to take on!

“I like the desert because it is so vast. It is comparable to the ocean in a way, it gives me an incredible sense of freedom”. 

Completing her first edition of the MDS in 2012 with her then, husband, Elisabet recalls having the most wonderful time! “I kept referring to the experience as the best holiday that I had ever had; people must have thought that I had gone mad!”. 

“The 2012 MDS was about so much more than running, it was an opportunity for real reflection, being cut off from the rest of the world, the daily routines and stress. Being able to live a really simple lifestyle made me realise that the smaller things that we worry about on a daily basis, really aren’t worth the energy or stress”.