A week after running 300 km, Jess is already back on the track

Jess Peil and her Bravehearts 777 running group preparing for their third marathon at the War Memorial. Photo: Michelle Kroll.

A week after week running 300 km – seven marathons in seven days – Jess Peil is already back on the track and running through the snow before building up to a 5.5 km run around Red Hill on Wednesday (15 July).

SEE ALSO: Canberra champion runs seven marathons in seven days for child sexual abuse survivors

“I went for a walk the next day, and then some slow jogs in the few days after just to keep the legs ticking over,” Jess laughed.

“I was running in snow boots in the snow, so I was a little slower and it was a little slippery.”

But she is still keen to get back into full training, despite having a bruised knee after falling during her second-last marathon.

Seven marathons in seven days – Jess Peil says she cannot wait to start doing long runs again and be able to get back into training. Photo: Dominic Giannini.

“I could run a marathon tomorrow if it wasn’t for my knee,” she said. “But I am back out because if our running group runs 9,000 km in a month period, Anytime Fitness will donate $1,000 – and it goes up from there to a maximum of $5,000.

“It is only 150 km in a month which is alright considering I was going 100 km a week while training.”

After last year’s Bravehearts 777 marathon – which took place across seven states, as opposed to just Canberra this year – Jess was on crutches with a swollen ankle for months. The break from running had an impact on her mental health.

“Not being able to run really started to take its toll because I could not do the one thing I love to do as a runner,” she said.

View this post on Instagram

First time I’ve ever run in a ski jacket. Crackenback is pumping!

A post shared by Jess Peil (@jess_runs_4_bravehearts) on Jul 13, 2020 at 12:53am PDT

Despite being more mentally than physically fatigued, Jess is already looking forward to her next challenge, the Delirious Western Endurance Scenic Trail.

The 350-km course across Western Australia’s south coast will take five days. Last year, in the race’s inaugural year, the course was run in 61 hours and 24 minutes.

It is this level of dedication and love for running that helped Jess raise more than $26,500 for Bravehearts, which helps survivors of child sexual abuse.

You can follow Jess’s journey on Instagram or Facebook using her handle ‘Jess Runs For Bravehearts’.