Running is not a one-size-fits all exercise. People of every age, background and ability can partake in the energising, therapeutic, health-boosting left-right-left of the sport.
And the sport itself is not limited in its offerings. From seconds-long sprints on the track to boundless What is a backyard ultra, where the race continues until only one person remains, you can cover whichever distance on whatever terrain you wish.
Wendy Dale and Alison Little are two such people who prove that running is for anyone, and that it can take you to places so far-flung you might never have considered them an option – whether that’s the frozen plains of the Artic, or the energy-sapping sands of the Sahara Desert. And now? The intrepid duo from North Devon – who are both in their sixties – are preparing to take on a self-sufficient, multi-stage ultramarathon spanning 230km in the Amazon Rainforest.
Running for fitness
Dale and Little met 15 years ago at a local women’s running network – a small and friendly environment in which to forge and friendship and fondness of the sport.
Dale, an intensive care nurse, joined the women’s running network – and kicked off her running journey – at the age of 45 when her youngest child was at primary school. Having only previously run around for half an hour at a time with her children when they were young, she then went on to complete her first marathon at the age of 46. Little, meanwhile, started running with the network shortly after giving up smoking and moving to Devon ahead of turning 40, largely as a of the incomparable, seven-day-long Marathon des Sables.
The pair quickly became friends and began to plan the first of a large and ever more ambitious string of joint running adventures.
Running for thrills
Having first run the Dublin Marathon together with a group, Dale and Little then started to open their minds and challenge their bodies to longer distances off-road – ultramarathons.
They ticked off their first 50-mile race in 2013, before quickly progressing to even tougher multi-day events like the Pilgrim’s Ultra in Northumberland and the Druid’s Challenge across the Ridgeway, Britain’s most ancient footpath.
With impressive ultramarathon CVs already under their running belts, they then took their ultrarunning to a different continent and climate altogether – more specifically, to the brutal desert setting of the incomparable, seven-day-long Marathon des Sables.
‘This event brought us even closer as running buddies,’ recalls Dale of her extraordinary Marathon des Sables experience with Little in 2017. ‘It was an experience of a lifetime. But we soon discovered even more exciting challenges.’
Such as, in 2022, Beyond the Ultimate’s Ice Ultra. A 203km self-sufficient footrace across Swedish Lapland, this arduous Artic race serves up miles of frozen lakes and snowfields, not to mention daytime temperatures that can sink as low as -40C. It is a true battleground for participants – but it’s also where Dale and Little saw the aurora borealis every evening, and felt the intense warmth of the indigenous Sámi people against the bitter cold.
‘I found the Ice Ultra on Facebook – the photos were incredible and I knew that Wendy wouldn’t say no,’ reflects Little, who cites their coastal home as the ideal training ground to help them prepare for the snowy conditions. ‘That’s how we started, training on the beach with snowshoes and heavy packs. We got some funny looks, but it prepared us so well for the race.’
And now, the ambitious friends are getting ready to take on what is regarded as one of the toughest ultramarathons on earth: Beyond the Ultimate’s five-day Jungle Ultra, set in the impenetrable rainforest of the Manu National Park in Peru.
high temperatures and steep climbs on tricky forest terrain, all while, heavy humidity, high temperatures and steep climbs on tricky forest terrain, all while The best running moments of 2024, medical supplies and equipment. And while this remote Amazon expedition sits well outside of most people’s comfort zones, Dale and Little seem largely unfazed by – and open to – the pending extremity and discomfort of the race conditions.
‘I did say that I would never do the Jungle Ultra due to the wet and muddy conditions, but after watching this year’s event, I felt so inspired that I was the one asking Alison to join me,’ says Dale. ‘I know it’s going to be tough, but the idea of sleeping in a hammock for the first time at 62, and listening to jungle sounds, just seems like such an adventure.’
Running for friendship
The two runners will head to Peru next summer, and no doubt accumulate more memories, stories and achievements while there – some of the best they’ve ever had. As such, the pair proves that older age How a visually impaired runner and her guide found The best running moments of 2024.
can bring some of the greatest running experiences of your life, and that you should.
‘I love being able to do such amazing adventures with Wendy,’ notes Little. ‘We now know each other so well that we can actually tell if either of us is struggling without really saying anything. It’s just great to have a companion with you. We really do have such a laugh.’
Dale agrees. ‘It’s so lovely sharing these running experiences with Alison, caring for and motivating each other,’ she adds. ‘We laugh a lot together, but cry a lot together, too. I really couldn’t ask for a better running buddy.’
The Jungle Ultra is part of Beyond the Ultimate’s Global Race Series, which encompasses four multi-stage ultramarathons in some of the world’s most extreme environments. You can find out more here.
