In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, we meet Manika Gamble — an Atlanta-based trail runner who thrives on testing her limits in some of the world's toughest ultra races.
Manika's running journey started with casual neighbourhood runs, but soon she found herself racing 155-mile desert ultras in Africa, tackling Mongolia's Gobi March, and pushing through multi-stage, extreme endurance events. She shares the highs, the lows, and the mental grit it takes to keep moving when every muscle is screaming.
We dive into:
- Training by feel, without a watch or GPS
- Fueling, hydration, and surviving the desert heat
- Coping with pain, blisters, and fatigue without relying on painkillers
- Recovery strategies, sleep, and balancing life with training
- The mental challenges of multi-day ultra races
- Staying motivated and tackling new adventures outside your comfort zone
Manika's message is simple: don't let fear hold you back. Find what excites you, lean in, and see what you're capable of.
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Show notes
- Who is Manika
- Being based out of Atlanta, USA
- Trail Runner
- Currently training for a race our in Morocco
- Running every since she was a child but being new to long distance running
- Always being an active child
- Going out for the track team and how it became her whole life
- Focusing on 100 m and 400 m hurdles
- Wanting to run further
- Dreaming of the day she would be able to run casually
- Starting with 20 min runs throughout the neighbourhood
- Signing up for more and more races from 5k, up to Marathon distance
- Deciding to take on an ultra race
- Seeing a YouTube video of a man running in Namibia, Africa
- Signing up for the race and giving herself a 1 year time line to train for
- The running logistics and what her training looked like
- Being a laidback person when it comes to a training schedule
- Not running with a watch or gps tracking device
- Training based on feel and time
- Leaning about fuelling and nutrition and how to manage herself in the desert
- Carrying everything she needed on her back for 7 days while running through the desert
- Learning how to hydrate probably
- What worked well nutrition wise while racing
- Using Tailwind Powder
- The mental and emotional side of the challenge
- Why it was so tough
- Why it was such a beautiful race
- Issues with her feet and dealing with blisters
- Dealing with pain and not being able to block it out
- Not being able to take pain medication - due to the heat and potential damage to organs
- Telling herself - you're not going to stop
- Trying to divert her mind from the pain
- Camp life
- Finishing the race and the thoughts running through her head
- Never Again….
- Sprinting V Longer Races
- What does recovery look like?
- Incorporating creatine into her diet, resting more, prioritising sleep and taking on less races
- Taking 5g of creatine in the morning, and 5g in the evening
- Taking other supplements, Magnesium, potassium and starting to take athletic green in the future
- Trying to have a well rounded diet based on feel with a focus on protein, fibre and carbs
- Trying the carnivore diet but not having the energy to run
- Waking at 4am - but staying in bed till 6am
- Not napping during the day
- Heading over to Mongolia to race the Gobi March (250km across the desert)
- Racing the Planet
- Racing on green trails through the Mongolian Desert
- Getting very tired of eating the same food day after day
- How things changed mentally having done the Nambia Race previously
- Getting bored of the green pastures - being ready for it to be over
- Feeling mentally drained on her 2nd Ultra
- Too much too soon? Racing in Mongolia only 6 weeks after Nambia
- Racing the Planet - Grand Slam Challenge
- Trying to raise funds to race an ultra in Antarctica ($14,100)
- Fitting training into her life and work
- Having a pretty flexible schedule and stating to work with brand
- Using running as work
- Stone Everest, Atlanta Challenge (May 16th & 17th)
- Races for 2026
- Training for a team relay 100k challenge
- Running a Marathon in Morocco
- Running a 3 day stage race through Utah
- How to connect with Manika on social media
- Advice and top tips for other women who want to take on new challenges
- Outside of just do it
- Don't allow fear to rule you
- Find something that intrigues you and go with that
Social Media
Instagram: @manikaruns
Youtube: @ManikaRuns
