Maroubra ultra runner overcomes depression to win 555km race
A Maroubra ultramarathon runner has won a 555km race at high altitude in India after overcoming a long battle with depression which he hopes will help inspire others.
Southern Courier
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A Maroubra ultramarathon runner has won a 555km race at high altitude in India — considered one of the cruellest races on earth — after overcoming a long battle with depression which he hopes will help inspire others.
Jason Reardon, 38, works as a personal trainer and can often be spotted near his home at Maroubra Beach running boot camps.
Originally from Canberra, he moved to Sydney in 2010 to pursue a career in personal training, having gone through a traumatic period in his life.
That included the death of his first child and a severe battle with depression.
“I was all right for a while and I continued with my work but as things slowed down everything went downhill.”
He turned to drinking and left his position with the army in 2007, a few years after his son’s death, hitting rock bottom when he began to contemplate suicide.
He sought help and was encouraged by a doctor to start taking medication and to get involved in exercise which he enjoyed.
“I had been dealing with depression for at least three years by then but I had not been taking any antidepressants, I never wanted to go on stuff like that, I did not really believe in it.”
As his mental health improved he decided to shift to Sydney to do what he loved and to work as a personal trainer.
Since moving cities, he has started his own business Ultra Fit Athlete, taken up long-distance obstacle racing and, more recently, found great success running ultramarathon events.
In August, he won the inaugural 555km La Ultra The High race across the Himalayas in India which reached heights of 5500m.
Previously, the event featured distances of 111km, 222km and 333km but added a mammoth 555km event this year.
“They said it is just going to be held this one time. They did not think anyone would finish it but three of us did,” he told the Courier.
“The first day it was raining and it turned into a snowstorm the higher we got … we were running through knee-deep snow.”
He said half the field from all the races dropped out after the first day because of the wild conditions.
However, he battled on and completed the gruelling 555km race in 120h 19m, which included about four to six hours of sleep.
“It was amazing. Toward the end of the race I actually had so much energy.”
He explained the longer the distance the better he seemed to perform. He said that had a lot to do with his larger build, from his days in the army, which gave him plenty of stability and endurance compared to the smaller guys who suited the shorter distances.
Mr Reardon said he loved inspiring others and showing people they can overcome obstacles in life.
“For me I do it to inspire others,” he said. “It is about showing people that if you really focus on something you can really achieve it.”
Mr Reardon and his second wife are expecting their first child.
To follow his racing check out his Instagram and Facebook pages, where you can also see pictures from his most recent 100km victory in Turkey in September.
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