Episode 112: Rachel Belmont on Conquering Your Fears, Ultra Running, Skydiving, and Giving Back

Rachel's Bio: Rachel is a 23 year old accelerated nursing student at Rutgers New Brunswick, a competitive Ultramarathoner, and a Licensed Skydiver. She has run a variety of race distances, ranging from marathons on 4/7 of the continents (in remote locations like Tunisia and deserts of Jordan) to 100 miles (most recently, she completed the 2019 Keys 100 miler and won the 2019 NJ One Day 24 Hour Race-finishing 106 miles after walking the last 2.5 hours with a hurt foot). Some of her biggest up and coming goals include becoming one of the few women to complete the Mt. Everest Ultramarathon next May (following in Vivian Lee’s footsteps as the first American woman last year) and one of the youngest females to complete Badwater 135 within the next few years. Questions we ask Rachel include: How did you get your start in running? Given that we’re currently in COVID-19, we wanted to highlight and commend you on your fundraising efforts (which we’ll get more into), as well as being a nursing student! What led you to pursue this path, and where do you hope to work upon graduation? From tackling ultramarathons to skydiving, you have had quite the number of experiences! What inspires you to embark on these feats? Do you ever get afraid before attempting to skydive or run an ultra? How do you battle through fear and sum up the courage to tackle these challenges? What has been your proudest moment in your ultramarathon / skydiving / or outside career thus far? You’ve raised money for a number of charities and volunteered your time and races in generous ways. What advice would you give to listeners wanting to get more involved in their communities and give back? How are you currently finding a silver lining in COVID-19? What’s been keeping you going? Looking back, what advice would you give to your younger self? What does being a SRC mean to you? Connect with Rachel on Instagram at @_skyrnr_ or at: https://linktr.ee/rbel96