How modest my challenges in life seem compared to those of Julie Uychiat who at the age of 49 is the first Filipino ever to have completed the World Marathon Challenge, seven marathons in seven days in seven continents. Imagine that. We had the honor of attending her celebratory dinner in Bacolod, Negros and meeting her inspired me to interview her. ”I am feeling a bit bittersweet now, a few weeks after the race. This was by far the most amazing thing that ever happened to me”, she says. She remembers racing the last miles in a very emotional state of mind as this was the culmination of a lot of preparations. How did it all start?
Julie had never run a marathon before the magical year of 2017. She was tied up with her work, very career-driven and just loving it. But then she began to realize there is more to life than work. Her sister had started running and she challenged her to do a half marathon. And that was it, the beginning of a whole new journey. Seven months later she ran her first full marathon with amazing results. Julie realized that she had a talent for running and pushing through the hardships of those long runs and she did not want to sacrifice it. She herself had sought more personal development and had become inspired to do more in life and especially to do more for others. Maybe this could be used to inspire others to be better versions of themselves as well?
Julie thinks of herself as a rather shy and introverted person so she sometimes feels a little embarrassed with the attention she is getting. ”But the bigger picture is worth the sacrifice I have to make.” And her heart melts with people like the lady walking her dog in the parking lot where Julie runs her rounds. The lady told her that she has been through a lot in her life and she finds Julie an inspiration for her to push through another day. ”I started all this to get strong – if i have this impact on others, it is amazing”, Julie says. So she decided to start fundraising for a cause while preparing for the World Marathon Challenge. She and her ever so supportive husband Jim had visited the Kalipay Negrense Foundation – a home for abused children – some time earlier. They were highly impressed and it seemed to have been a match made in heaven – in just two days Julie was blown away with having fundraised already 20 000 US dollars for it. A highly emotional moment was witnessed by all at the celebratory dinner when Jim told the Kalipay Negrense Foundation founder and director Anna C. Balcells that he had felt compelled to match his wife’s contribution – he added money to bring the donation up to four million pesos. The things people can do to make this world a better place.
The first of the seven marathons was run in Antarctica and Julie thinks of this as the hardest. Weather and wind conditions were really tough but ”you can frame your mind” as she says and I honestly found myself believing her even if I could never see myself running a marathon! Quitting was not an option for Julie and so she finished that as well as the other six marathons, even winning four of them. While running in Antarctica she kept going with her grateful thoughts – being able to visit Antarctica, being able to run and to compete, both of those being something she loves.
Today Julie is inspiring people to run and to take better care of themselves. She is supporting friends and firmly believing in the little things anyone can do to strangers to give them hope and motivation. She herself experienced that when the going got tough and a man in the World Marathon Challenge group supported her and believed in her. We can all be angels to strangers.
And the next run? Of course it is the toughest footrace in the world, in the Moroccan Sahara Desert to be precise. 250 kilometres in seven days. Good luck, Julie, we believe in you!
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