Paris Olympic Games a stage to make women feel ‘empowered’, says record-breaker mum

Ultra-runner Natalie Dau, 52, who recently ran 1,000km in a record 12 days, says it is possible now to be a mother and also an elite athlete

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Dau advocates for prominent sportswomen using the Olympic stage to address the impact of the menstrual cycle on athletic performance. Photo: Handout

Published: 12:00pm, 6 Jul 2024

A record-breaking ultra-runner and mother has backed female athletes at this summer’s Olympic Games to deliver storylines that “empower women”.

Natalie Dau recently defied serious injury and illness to run 1,000 kilometres from Thailand to Singapore, via Malaysia, in a record 12 days. The 52-year-old, who has a daughter, aged 15, is anticipating elite women in Paris underlining that it is possible to flourish athletically following childbirth.

Additionally, Dau, who co-authored the book Run Like A Woman, which details how the menstrual cycle affects training, advocated the value of prominent sportswomen using the highest stage of all to address the same topic. The 2024 Games are the first Olympics to have an equal number of men and women competing.

Dau’s legs “almost doubled in size” at one point, while she also suffered a hip injury and an infection, and her shoes melted from the heat. Photo: Handout

On her own endurance challenge, which she completed in aid of the charity GRLS, Dau said she “panicked” when a damaged hip threatened the potential “embarrassment” of ending her run on day one.

Her legs “almost doubled in size” as she suffered with rhabdomyolysis, which causes the rapid breakdown of skeletal muscle, while a urinary tract infection led to her “peeing blood for seven days straight”.

Dau’s trainers melted in the blistering Thai heat, too.

Nonetheless, she completed the rough equivalent of two marathons per day, despite the closing 20 kilometres typically being a “s*** show”.