Extreme athlete Bec Wilcock on running the hardest race in the world

I’m a personal trainer so I’m used to exercise, but Nike trainer, marathon runner and endurance athlete, Bec Wilcock easily puts my routine to shame.

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If it’s any indication of how hardcore she is, earlier this year Bec completed the Barkley 100 which has been labeled the toughest race in the world.

Haven’t heard of it? Well, chances are running 100 miles (or 160km) in the Tennessee wilderness in under 60 hours isn’t something you’ve ever thought about doing. Oh, and you need to write an essay to even enter the race which has a 0.5 percent finishing rate. Yikes.

For Bec, this is something she’d been training her whole life for.

“You start with a smaller race, and I built it up over the last 10 years,” she tells me.

“I say to people I haven’t just trained for this race for the last year, I’ve been pretty much training my whole life. Mentally and physically you have to prepare for it.”

Last month the inspiring Nike trainer helped train thousands of women to take part in Australia's first women's only Nike Half Marathon in Sydney.

When it comes to food, Bec doesn’t mind a cheat meal but mainly eats clean foods – and a lot of it! – to fuel her body for the insane amounts of exercise she does.

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“I went on an alkaline diet before [the race], because I’d never tried it,” she says. “You have to eat all the time when you’re an endurance athlete. It’s really expensive! And you just always constantly feel like you’re having to snack or have a meal.

Something like my Nutty Chocolate smoothie is great for runners like Bec.

Made with cacao which is rich in antioxidants and magnesium, there’s also macadamias which are are rich in Vitamin E and fats.

My tip: don’t go crazy with the blitzing, it’s nice to have a bit of texture from the nuts.

Nutty Chocolate smoothie

200 ml coconut milk or nut milk
Handful macadamias
2 tbs cacao
1 tsp vanilla bean powder/extract
Pinch sea salt
Handful ice

Throw all the ingredients into a blender and blitz for 20 seconds or until a smooth consistency is reached.

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