A trailblazer

Adrenaline-pumping adventurer Fatema Husain has become the first Bahraini athlete, and GCC female, to compete in and complete an international high-altitude mountain race alongside thousands of runners from around the globe.

The Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB), which has been dubbed by participants as the most mythical and prestigious trail running event in the world, is a 171km mountain race, circumnavigating the Mont Blanc mountain range.

“It is the world summit of ultra-trail running, where thousands of runners apply after qualifying and meeting certain criteria, similar to the Kona of Ironman,” said the 31-year-old senior process engineer at Bapco.

The race kicks off in Chamonix in France, passes through Italy and Switzerland and back to France.

According to Husain, around 2,700 runners started the race but only 65 per cent completed it due to its difficulty.

“The cumulative elevation gain (+10,000m) is equivalent to more than climbing and descending Mount Everest from sea level,” she explained. “And, it must be completed in less than two consecutive days.”

The route, apparently, is very steep and requires a lot of technical power hiking and descending over rocks, routes, trails and paths throughout the day and night.

“The race proved to be very challenging with the relentless route and very tight cut-off times,” added Husain, who graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in chemical engineering (with honours) from Monsah University in Australia.

“I had to work hard to stay in the game. It was a mental battle as well as a physical one. Recovering from a recent travel illness added to the challenge. I was in the pain cave for a very long time, but I had to stay positive and focused to keep moving forward. That left no time to sleep or extended rest for the entire two days I was on the course.”

It took her 47 hours to cross the finish line in Chamonix while holding Bahrain’s flag for the first time in this international competition.

“My aim was to represent my country and hold Bahrain’s flag proudly at the finish line and indeed it was a very rewarding moment and a huge relief that I could accomplish that!” she proudly shared.

“For most of these international mountain races, this is the first time to host an athlete from Bahrain. So I would love to spread awareness of this beautiful sport.”

Apparently, when Husain started, ‘running didn’t come naturally to her’. 

“I started exercising when I was at university as I didn’t play any sport as a child,” she said. “It took me over a year of exercising to be able to jog 3km continuously. I was ecstatic that I could do that and wondered how far I could go. I started increasing the distance gradually every year going from 8km, to half marathon, to full marathon. Now, I have completed more than100km races in the mountains, and find joy in running far.

“What appealed to me in ultra-trail running is its simplicity and added challenge. This sport relies on the mental aspect as well as the physical. I love seeing how, with the right conditioning, the human body can achieve these feats. I simply found passion in travelling far on foot and discovering new wonders of this world as I do that.”

In 2016, she hiked the UTMB 170km trail over eight days while on vacation and thought that was one of the most difficult physical activities she had ever done.

It was during that trip that she learned some people ran the entire trail in less than two days.

“That seemed crazy,” she said. “But, it planted a seed in my mind that one day I could be toeing the line of that historic race. So, I gradually built my fitness to be able to tackle such a challenge!”

She found that training for high-altitude mountain races in Bahrain the most challenging aspect of this sport.

“We simply don’t have the right environment to train,” she said.

“I try to manage it by doing all my training runs on trails in Sakhir. I find the highest hills and run up and down them countless times. I also do a lot of strength training at the gym, plyometrics, train on the stairs and cycle long distances. Other aspects of training include climbing and descending, power hiking, technical footwork and fuelling. Mental training is also important so I train in harsh conditions and Bahrain is excellent for heat and humidity.”

In 2022 she ran the UTMB CCC 100km race. She placed fifth among international females in the Salomon Cappadocia 120km Ultra Trail and second in the overall female category in the Twaiq Hope 50km race in Saudi Arabia. She completed various 50km mountain races in Italy, Austria, the US and Oman too.

Meanwhile, she won the National Championships in road cycling in 2022 and participated in regional competitions representing Bahrain as part of the National Women’s Cycling Team.

She hopes to see more Bahraini athletes taking up this sport and running this race next year.

“For now, I’m focusing on recovering and then the doors are open for more crazy adventures!”

For details, follow @fatemoves on Instagram.