FOR WHOM THE Bell Tolls

WHEN TRAIL RUN MAG LAST CAUGHT UP WITH JACQUI BELL (EDITION 29), SHE WAS HALFWAY THROUGH HER QUEST TO BECOMING THE YOUNGEST FEMALE TO COMPLETE THE FOUR DESERTS GRAND SLAM (GOBI, SAHARA, ATACAMA, ANTARCTICA). BUT HER PLAN EXPANDED BEYOND THE ORIGINAL QUARTET OF CONTINENTAL QUAD KILLERS AND AFTER 1850KM AND TEN LOST TOENAILS, JACQUI IS NOW THE YOUNGEST PERSON EVER TO RUN AN ULTRAMARATHON ON ALL SEVEN CONTINENTS.

It wasn’t just the gruelling distances that you faced out there on the multiday stage – you battled plantar fasciitis most of the time, too. How did you manage?

I struggled with it through most of the races, which was difficult, especially since I didn’t really have enough time between each (stage race) to deal with it thoroughly. It was particularly bad during Alps2Ocean in New Zealand. Running on hard surfaces was excruciating and I suffered. I got a scan after the race which showed my Fascia being 10mm thickened and the plantar fascia was 30% ruptured, I could barely walk. Luckily, I had a five-month window before my final two races in Iceland and USA, so I got