Wonder Woman
Once a fragile and insecure youngster, 26-year-old Ashmoret Mishal became a marathon fanatic, finishing a forbidding course of 200 kilometers (124.2 miles), and later a successful New York business owner: "90 Percent of Running is Willpower”
By: Shimi Bar
Yediot Aharonot | Ynet
November 22, 2017
For many, the word “marathon” immediately invokes the image of lounging on the sofa in front of the TV and catching up on missed episodes of Game of Thrones. Ashmoret Mishal, 26, defines herself as a serial marathoner, but in her case reality surpasses any fictional fantasy.
As a teenager, Mishal disliked running and even loathed the mere idea of it. In the midst of a life-crisis, and with the support of her mother's partner, she decided to break the glass ceiling and at the age of 19, in Jerusalem, she enrolled in her first marathon which completely changed her life. She got hooked on challenges and took running several steps further. That is several million steps further.
In a matter of only a few years, Mishal, once a fragile and insecure youngster, became a marathon fanatic (she has completed nine marathons to date), the pinnacle being completing the forbidding 200 kilometers course of the Round the Valley Ultra-Marathon, testing her limits for nearly 40 hours. “Just like in life, I set myself a long-term goal, and I achieve it. That's the essence of it. Each race, I increase the distance and make a point of finishing the course. For me, time means nothing. I’m not a professional athlete,” she relates.
What is the body going through during this?
"It's a wheel of emotions. From happiness to excitement to joy on the one hand, to extremes such depression, crying, regret, and fear on the other. Unlike in soccer or basketball, when you run you are on your own. On the 185th kilometer mark, I was sure I was going to quit. I said, "No way. I can't." I mean, it's 15 kilometers from the finish line. It's insane. You eat as you walk. At a certain point, you're unable to ingest anything anymore. The body rejects everything, and you even vomit. You run out of any energy sources, and that's when you reach your breaking point. How do you go on? Ultimately, you understand that 90 percent of running is willpower.”
How did it all begin?
My mother's partner, an Ironman triathlete and marathoner, introduced me to it when I was 17. He believed I had capabilities and untapped potential. I dreamed of running a marathon, although I did not have faith in myself, and he decided to take me by the hand and make it a reality. He began training me for long-distance runs: Five kilometers, then ten, and so forth. I was on cloud nine because, in my view, I was achieving the impossible. After two years of training, I enrolled in the Jerusalem Marathon. People did not believe I could do it. They said I was too weak. “I’ll tell you a secret. I don’t have any muscle. I run from the heart, from the mind.”
From the Jerusalem Hills to Manhattan
Mishal's career got a boost not only from the track but also from her becoming the Israeli Army's and the Etgarim Association's running team coach. Later, she established her own runners' club, employing coaches, mental advisers and even psychologists. "I aimed to pass on to others the empowerment I gained as a runner."
Today, after nine years of coaching, achievements in Ultra-Marathon and psychology studies, Mishal is conquering Manhattan with her newly-developed program – 12 Steps to Business Development and Investor Recruiting for Start-Ups. The idea is to compare long-distance running aspects to business long-term objectives: planning, crisis management, adapting to changes, and withstanding pressure and uncertainty. At the same time, she participates in the toughest ultra-marathons in the US.
What message do you convey by running long-distance runs?
“Just like in life, in a marathon, you encounter a wall. Your muscles die, you want to quit. Physically, you cannot go on. The idea is to mobilize internal resources to move forward. It's all in the mind. I realized I could do much more than I was capable of. Through these long journeys, I wanted to test my potential's maximal point. You live life thinking you can succeed only to a certain level, then you realize you’re worth more. No matter how rich you are, how good looking or smart you are, if you have champion-building abilities – you can reach your heights. The point is to focus on what you can do to succeed.”
Were there injuries?
"After having run five marathons, I enrolled in a 100 kilometer Round the Valley race. During two months, I ran a weekly marathon-long run alone in the park. Then, a month and a half before the race, I hurt my knee. I ate a lot of shit to get to this point; then everything came to a halt. I was told to quit, but I had waited so much for this race. I just said I'll simply run more slowly. Indeed, I limped for half of the distance, but I had no doubt I would finish it. The time didn't matter, the dream was just to cross the finishing line, and I did."
And you were not satisfied with 100 kilometers.
"I wanted to test my limits again. I heard about a race called "Sea to Sea"—144 kilometers from Jerusalem to Tel-Aviv. It's amazing. You start at the Jerusalem hills and finish at the Jaffa port in Tel-Aviv. It was truly spiritual for me, a crazy experience. It took me 24 hours, and I finished in second place. All of a sudden people began to get interested and interview me. I understood it was not only about me; this was something exciting for many others. Tremendous satisfaction."
