Jasmin Paris – a real-life Superwoman?

Dear all

The Barkley Marathons is the name given to an event held in March or April in the dense forests of Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee. It’s a 100-mile race made up of five 20-mile loops, which sounds daunting enough, but that also includes around 60,000 feet of elevation, which is the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest – twice.

The terrain is brutal. Runners deal with slopes so steep they have to climb on their bellies and sections covered in brambles that slash their legs. There is also a strict 60-hour time limit in which competitors have to complete the course. Since 1989, when the race was extended to 100 miles, more than 1,000 elite athletes have tried to finish it. Until recently, only 20 people in history had ever done so.

In March 2024, a British runner named Jasmin Paris did just that.

Paris is a 40-year-old mother of two and a lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, who balances a demanding career and family life with an incredible passion for pushing her limits. She also has no anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee after an injury she sustained at age 17, for which she never had surgery.

This wasn’t her first attempt at the Barkley; she had tried twice before, failing to finish the full course both times. During the 2024 race, she pushed herself to the absolute edge of human endurance, running for nearly three days with almost no sleep, and suffering from intense hallucinations where she saw trees that looked like mountain lions and strange figures in black raincoats. In the final minutes, with blurred vision and seemingly nothing left to give, she managed to muster a final sprint to the finish gate, completing the race in 59 hours, 58 minutes, and 21 seconds—just 99 seconds before the 60-hour cutoff. She was the first woman in history to ever finish the race.

In Monday’s assembly, we considered what we can learn from Jasmin Paris:

• First, resilience is a choice. Jasmin Paris failed twice before she succeeded. She didn’t see failure as a reason to stop, but as a reason to train harder and try again
• Second, after the race, she spoke about the concept of ‘focus through the Blur’: when things got difficult, and her mind was playing tricks on her, she focused on the next kilometre. She told herself that if she didn’t finish now, she would only have to come back and do it all over again
• And finally, the power of perspective. When asked why she puts herself through it, she said that she does these races to ‘strip away all the stuff that makes life easier’ and find out who she really is. She also said that she hopes her achievement encourages others to hold onto their hobbies and passions, even when life, work, and studies get busy

Jasmin Paris is a truly remarkable woman, whose achievements show us the role attitude and mindset play in success or failure. As Henry Ford once said, ‘if you believe you can or you believe you can’t do a thing, you’re probably right.’

Whether it’s a difficult exam, a sporting goal, or a personal challenge, the lesson we can take from Jasmin Paris is the same: keep moving, stay focused, and never underestimate what you can achieve in those final 99 seconds.

Have a great weekend

Best wishes

Michael Bond