Sole Runner
by Anim S.Swart

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THE BRUTAL HEAT OF THE DESERT IN NAMIBIA. High altitudes, canyons, and rivers in Chile. Unforgiving terrain and temperamental weather in remote Mongolia. The cold of Antarctica. A duckboard course through twenty-four hours of daylight in Lapland. Every year, the 4 Desert Grand Slam and the 4 Desert Grand Slam Plus pits athletes against 250 kilometers each race of treacherous terrain in ultramarathon races, not just against time and the elements but against the runners’ demons. Sole Runner is the incredible story of one of those athletes, Anim S. Swart, who became a 2022 Champion after triumphing in these intense marathon races. She set out to face the greatest challenge of her life, but the triggers of her childhood surfaced to push her limits emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Achieving each benchmark seemed to draw her even further away from peaceful fulfillment, yet focusing on her goal changed her life in positive ways she had never imagined. This is the raw story of a person who was told she was a nobody and her fight to become somebody. In overcoming extreme challenge after challenge, she learned that the power of change is within us all, and that even in our darkest moments, there is a light at the end of the abyss.

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Anim is a picture of consistency across a highly challenging set of races over a year, never fading in her performances. As the Grand Slam Plus champion, she was a natural role model and other competitors in the 4 Deserts cycle, always showing up, overcoming adversity, and being a source of inspiration. — Elize Zender, fellow competitor. The definition of Resilience, Tenacity, and Persistence in Total is Anim Swart. — Amelia Henning, Director of Photography

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ANIM S. SWART is an athlete, an endurance coach, and champion of the Racing the Planet 4 Deserts Grand Slam and the 4 Deserts Grand Slam Plus series. She has studied sports, nutrition, sports coaching, and life coaching. She has participated in many different fields of sport, including triathlons from Sprints to Extreme distances, Spartan Races, ultramarathons, and endurance adventures. Anim lives life to its fullest potential, in her spare time she enjoys playing with her two dogs, kayaking, and spending time with her children, Daniella and David, who are a short drive away. She splits her time between Mont-Tremblant and Connecticut, and when she is not running through nature, she is enjoying the outdoors as much as possible.

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Contributors

Author

Anim S.Swart

Editor

Benjamin Mor

Editor

Daniella Marx