Lenka Istvanova is an avid ultra runner who has combined her passion with work by gaining her dream job at Freestak sports agency.

LENKA Istvanova was brought up in a sporty family and after a love affair with basketball soon became focussed on running and exploring the countryside and any mountains she could find.

In this exclusive interview she talks to us about what it is about running that makes her tick and explains how she has managed to combine her working life with her outdoor obsession. 

Could you tell us about your early life and the sport and adventure you were involved in?

A love of sport runs in my whole family and I was brought up skiing, swimming and playing tennis . When I was seven I picked up a basketball and that became my number one sport. I played for several teams in Slovakia, Czech Republic and represented my University in the UK.

About three years ago, I fell in love with running. I got inspired by my 54-year-old mum who hits the road regularly and wins the races in her category (her PB – 9K in 48 minutes!).

Fast forward to 2015 and I’ve turned into an ultra runner who adores trail running and mountains.

Trail running in Chamonix

When did you move to London and how long did it take you to pick up your passion for the outdoors over here?

I come from mountains so my childhood free time was spent in the outdoors – mountain-biking, skiing, hiking… After finishing my bachelor degree in Prague, Czech Republic I decided it was time for new adventure and I moved to Southampton. It was here when I fell in love with running. Southampton’s got a variety of green places; parks, woods and trails and the Isle of Wight and New Forest National Park were just a stone’s throw away. Although these were not exactly mountains, I still managed to do a fair amount of trail running.

However, the real love for mountain came after moving to London and visiting Chamonix for the first time. And that was it really – since the first time I saw and ran around Mont Blanc I’ve never looked back. You might think that London is really not a place where one can hone her trail running skills and passion for outdoors but that’s not true. Alexandra palace, Trent park, Highgate Woods and Hampstead Heath are great examples of where you can enjoy a bit of wilderness in the centre of London.

A view from Mont Blanc.

Could you tell us about your love of trail running and where and how much you currently run?

I try to avoid running on roads as it’s not where my heart is. I also find it quite boring and not very inspiring. Running on the trails and in the mountains makes me uber happy and I honestly can’t imagine my life without it. It’s my Church where I go to meditate, re-charge and relax. I try to go as much as I can but this depends on my race calendars. When in training, I tend to go five to six times a week with long runs scheduled for the weekend. Also, my trail running kit is the first thing I pack whenever I travel.

Have you competed much in the last year and if so could you tell us about some of your experiences?

My key race for this year was back in June which you can read about here and so my training and nutrition focused on that day. The preparation included several trail running races, cycling across Scotland and hours and hours of running in London and Slovakia. It was my first ultra mountain race so yes, I’ll never ever forget the day I crossed the finish line after 27 plus hours of running. The training and the race itself was hard but it taught me a great deal about myself. I think I became calmer and more focused and tougher. Although there were more downs than ups in the training period, I loved every second of the race. I didn’t hit the wall and enjoyed every single mile. The last ten miles were magical and really emotional as my mum joined me for the last stage and we crossed the finish line hand in hand.

Lenka is currently training for the Genghis Khan Ice Marathon which will take place in 2016.

What is it about the outdoors and mountains that makes you feel so alive?

No matter how bad I feel, a walk or a run in the mountains does always make me happy again. Whenever I reach the top of a hill (big or small) all of my problems, worries and fears suddenly disappear and I feel free. It might sound strange but for me, being outdoors (running, hiking, mountain biking) is simply a drug I can’t (and never will) stop taking.

Could you tell us more about www.runista.co.uk and where the idea for the website was born?

I studied marketing and I was always interested in digital. So when I got my first digital marketing job, creating a blog was a natural progression. At first, I blogged about all things digital but after a few months I decided to create another website where I would talk only about running. And so runista was born.

You might think that there is a spelling mistake (runnista instead of runista) in the name but it actually comes from the word ‘run’ and my nickname ‘Ista’. The blog has opened up a lot of doors for me, I’ve worked with many well-know brands and met amazing people, some of which are now my best friends. But most importantly, it helped me to land my dream job at Freestak.

Running on ice: the inaugural Genghis Khan Ice Marathon will take place in 2016.

Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of the year and beyond?

Yes, I do indeed. It’s going to be one of the biggest adventures I’ve done to date. In January 2016, I’m heading to Mongolia, the least densely populated country on earth. In winter, it reaches temperatures of minus 40 degrees Celsius. I’ve been invited to be part of an expedition to run the inaugural Genghis Khan Ice Marathon. The adventure will see our small team attempt to run a marathon distance along the frozen river Tuul in the complete Mongolian wilderness and finishing at the Ghengis Khan Horse statue, just outside Ulan Bator. The expedition will test every aspect of the team both physical and mental as they take on the brutal conditions of the Mongolian winter. I’m very excited and worried at the same time as the weather will play an important role in the success of our expedition. Having no experience in running in -40C, I have no clue what to wear on the run which is another thing to worry about. However, having said that, we’ve got a great team of experienced adventurers and endurance athletes so I’m sure they will help me out. You can read all about it on my blog.

If you could give a message to anyone who is trying to become moremotivated and enjoy the outdoors what would that message be?

Get rid off the TV and go, explore and enjoy the outdoors. It might sound harsh, but the truth is that being outdoors is much better than the black box. A short walk or a run outside will boost your mood, change you perspective on things and help you solve any problem (it always helps me).