Record-breaking ultra-endurance runner and Peloton instructor Susie Chan spent her twenties partying before discovering her husband was a gambling addict, whose secret loans left her fearing she could lose her home to debt collectors. She started running to offset some of her drinking, and in her thirties, her brother convinced her to sign up for a half marathon at 35.
Now 51, she’s run the Marathon des Sables more times than any other British woman, set the female 12-hour treadmill world record, completed all seven major world marathons and Badwater 135 in 2023, all while surviving thyroid cancer and raising a 24-year-old daughter. Here, she shares her story in an extract from Trails and Tribulations: The Running Adventures of Susie Chan (Bloomsbury, £12.99), out now.
‘I vividly remember my first ever run, which I did during my lunch break at work. I left my desk and headed to a local park. Exhausted by the time I got there, I had stopped several times along the way. Sheesh, running is difficult. Is this what a heart attack feels like?
‘Three years later, I completed my first half marathon with my brother. My first ever race – not a 5k or 10k, but straight into a half marathon. I didn’t even know how far it was. I had barely slept and had drunk enough alcohol units to sink a ship. Despite this, I pushed on and, with a triumphant smile, crossed the finish line. I had never felt as accomplished as I did in that moment.’
Susie Chan//Instagram
‘My husband admitted he was a gambling addict. Thousands frittered away on horses, football matches, fruit machines. For nights afterwards, as I lay awake trying to sleep through the anxiety, I thought about that race and how running let me forget my life – forget who I was. It became the thing I did to release anger, feel back in control and stop getting drunk every night. I started looking for another race to enter.’
How running became her lifeline
‘One day I picked up Runner’s World and saw the Marathon des Sables. I had never seen anything like it – it looked otherworldly. The pages showed glossy images of golden sand dunes and vivid blue skies. It would take six days and runners were “self-sufficient”, carrying their sleeping gear, food and essentials to survive the desert. And I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Races like this exist? Beyond marathons was a whole new world – ultrarunning. It became my focus, my North Star. I threw myself into training and joined a local running club.
‘I entered my first ultramarathon in 2012. There were fewer than 20 in the UK back then. It followed the coastal path of the Isle of Wight – 67 miles around the island over two days. My legs ached, and the second morning I felt like I’d been run over by a bus, but there were stretches of walking, checkpoints full of sandwiches and cake, and views that made your heart soar.’
Susie Chan//Instagram
Conquering the Marathon des Sables
‘In 2013, the sun was relentless. The dunes were in constant motion, ever-changing across the desert. On day two, I climbed a mountain that was, in parts, vertical. On the final day’s 26.2 miles, when the finish arch rose out of the heat haze, I ran as fast as my bleeding feet would carry me. I flew home from the Sahara a different person. I knew it would bring more confidence – and more ultra-running.
‘Two years later, I completed it again, this time with several ultras under my belt. I was announced in the elite field, much to my surprise.
‘In 2017 and 2018, I returned with friends. The memories are the shared moments – tough climbs, huddling together against sandstorms, and the quiet understanding that your friends are just one step ahead. My fourth Marathon des Sables was my favourite.’
Breaking a world record
‘Later that year, I broke the female 12-hour treadmill Guinness World Record, running 68.5 miles. At points, nausea hit and I had to make a few trips to the bucket, but it never crossed my mind to stop. At the end, I lay on the treadmill at Kingston University clutching my stomach while everyone around me cheered.’
Susie Chan//Instagram
Completing the World Marathon Majors
‘Between 2014 and 2017, I completed the [then six] world major marathons – New York, Chicago, Berlin, Tokyo, Boston and London – finishing with Chicago in 2017.
‘I ran the London Marathon and Boston Marathon a week apart. Less than two weeks later, I took on the Thames Path 100 – 100 miles finishing in Oxford, the furthest I’d ever run non-stop. The pain in my legs was eclipsed by the overwhelming desire for it to be over, and I finished in 24 hours and 58 minutes.
‘After crossing the Chicago finish line in 2017, I was immediately funnelled into the Six Star Finish Area, where a giant medal was placed around my neck.’
‘Two days later, I got a call saying I had a sizeable growth in my neck – a 7cm lump attached to my thyroid. It was papillary thyroid carcinoma, and I needed surgery to remove it. Just two weeks after my second operation, I ran the Big Half in London at a similar cadence to my very first half marathon.’
Taking on Badwater 135
‘In February 2023, I got the invite I had both dreaded and hoped for: Badwater 135, one of the toughest races in ultrarunning. Starting 280 feet below sea level in Death Valley, we ran 135 miles across extreme terrain, climbing three mountain ranges and finishing at Mount Whitney – all within 48 hours.
‘With less than a mile to go, I felt a huge wave of emotion. It had been a 12-year dream to reach that finish line. This was me at the pinnacle of my running. This is as good as it gets. It’s happening. I’ve done it.
After years living with endometriosis and undergoing seven rounds of IVF, Radio 4 presenter Emma Barnett turned to training with PT Frankie Holah to rebuild strength and a more positive relationship with her body. Download the Women’s Health UK app to access Frankie’s full training plan.
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