Tania Carmona – First Mexican Athlete to Complete the 5 Deserts Grand Slam: Ultrarunner, Coach, and Podcaster cover art

Tania Carmona – First Mexican Athlete to Complete the 5 Deserts Grand Slam: Ultrarunner, Coach, and Podcaster

Tania Carmona – First Mexican Athlete to Complete the 5 Deserts Grand Slam: Ultrarunner, Coach, and Podcaster

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 This week on the Tough Girl Podcast, we’re joined by Tania Carmona—a trailblazing ultrarunner, endurance coach, entrepreneur, and the first Mexican athlete to complete the 5 Deserts Grand Slam. From swimming as a national-level athlete in Mexico to conquering some of the toughest environments on Earth, Tania’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and relentless curiosity. Based in Dubai and previously living in Scotland and the U.S., Tania shares her path into ultrarunning—from a reluctant marathon finisher to tackling self-supported races across the Gobi, Atacama, Namib, and Antarctica. We dive into her experience navigating extreme heat, physical stress, and the emotional highs and lows of ultra-endurance. Tania also opens up about the physiological toll of training, dealing with cortisol imbalances, the decision to undergo back surgery, and why she and her husband launched the Ultra Happy Podcast to bring more real, relatable stories to the running world. Whether you're chasing your own desert dreams or looking for inspiration to keep putting one foot in front of the other, this episode is packed with heart, humour, and hard-earned wisdom. New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries. Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast. Your support makes a difference. Thank you x Show notes Who is TaniaUltrarunner, coach and podcast hostBeing based in Dubai, born in Mexico and previously living in Glasgow, Scotland Growing up in Mexico City in a small family Being into swimming when she was littleBeing a national swimmer Deciding to stop swimming at 15 Moving to Chicago to do her MastersGetting into running in Chicago after being inspired by the Chicago Marathon Starting running with a free group 3x a weekFinishing her first marathon and deciding to never run again at 20Needing to make new friends after moving back to MexicoDeciding to give running another goA spartan race…. 2016Finding trail running!Hiring a coach Signing up for a 50kMeeting her Scottish husband, AndyMoving from Mexico City to Scotland!Deciding to sign up for longer, harder races and how her lifestyle started to changeThe 5 Desert Grand Slam Wanting to do Cocodona 250km race The 5 different, self supported racesDealing with the heatGobi Desert in Mongolia - more trails and more hard packed terrain - very similar to ScotlandRunning with really old shoesRunning in Antartica over 5 days - living on an expedition boat Atacama Desert in Chile and why it was one of her most favourite racesReducing those feelings of overwhelmFocusing on the first step firstTaking a year off to focus on running Working with a running coach Recovery runs and resting Dealing with gut issues and periods problemsThe impact on her body with spikes of cortisol Developing a cortisol hump on her backNot sleeping wellThe evening routines and life admin after a race Having surgery on her cortisol hump (7 cm by 1.5 cm deep) on her backDealing with more stress, by moving to DubaiUltra Happy Podcast Co-hosting with her husband AndyDocumenting the journey How to connect with TaniaMini films from each dessert available to watch on YouTube Final words of adviceLive your life with curiosity Don’t do it for the likes Think about what else you could do Social Media Website: taniacarmona.komi.io Instagram: @taniaruns_theworld TikTok: @taniaruns_theworld Youtube: @Tania_Carmona
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