Pain is no match for Joy
The Steep 100 ultra race was cancelled this year, but Tanya joy was determined to cover the course alone; it turns out she wasn’t always by herself.
At 6:46AM on September 5, 2020, with food, water and few other supplies in her hydration vest, Joy kissed Sturge at the gate of the park and set off to face the biggest physical challenge of her life.
“I absolutely loved it. It was exactly what I was looking for and the trails became my healing place” – Tanya Joy
“The quietness of running through the woods, dodging roots, and the smell of the earth and the trees, the natural Beauty…It literally lit up my soul” – Tanya Joy
“Running through the woods, up a pipeline, through a gorge, backcountry trails, through a quarry, on mountain bike trails, climbing mountains in Steadybrook, to Man In The Mountain, I felt very strong as I reached my halfway point and started my way back.” – Tanya Joy
Shortly after, near the 64km section of the route, she was overwhelmed to see dozens of people from the community, including runners and children on their bikes, waiting for her along the course, cheering, with many moving alongside her in that portion of the route.
“ I can’t tell you what that meant to me, for so many people in the community to show me that kind of support, “ Joy said, holding back tears. “ It was absolutely amazing and gave me so much strength.
“They call this the pain cave, when you question what you’re doing. You’re in so much pain, you don’t know if you can bear it. But I was prepared. I knew it would happen and when it did, I wasn’t scared. I just kept trying to eat and drink and keep moving.” – Tanya Joy
Joy was able to shift to high gear and flipped the strength to carry on with the help of friends and her partner. One friend ran alongside her over a gruelling section. She asked him to sing her at 85km in. He sang “Waltzing Matilda”.
“When I finished the 100km that night, I lay down and realized I didn’t conquer the mountains…I conquered me.” – Tanya Joy
