Ultrarunning
See how this runner scaled 3 volcanoes in under 24 hours
Watch history being made as Mexican ultrarunner Alex 'Chikorita' Roudayna becomes the first woman to climb three volcanoes in under 24 hours.
We all have 24 hours in a day, but when was the last time you really put a full day to use? Mexican ultramarathon runner Alex ‘Chikorita’ Roudayna wanted to see how much she could achieve and decided to use her 24 hours to make history in becoming the first woman to climb three volcanoes in under 24 hours.
It was completely new terrain for Mexico City-native Roudayna, who hadn’t experienced high altitude before and had only been training on a treadmill. However, she was determined to push her limits in her ambition to scale three volcanoes in under 24 hours; which included travelling over 500km, oxygen-sapping ascents, treacherous terrain and being stuck in Mexico City rush hour for 2.5 hours. Watch her journey in the player above.
Peak 1: Pico de Orizaba
Scaling the Jamapa glacier of Pico de Orizaba
© Marcos Ferro/Red Bull Content Pool
Nearing the summit
© Marcos Ferro/Red Bull Content Pool
Endless ridge views from the summie of Pico de Orizaba
© Marcos Ferro/Red Bull Content Pool
- Elevation: 5,636 m
- Last eruption: 1846
- O2 level at summit: 46 percent
At 4am, in darkness and after a night of camping the start of the adventure begins to summit volcano number 1, Pico de Orizaba, Mexico’s highest mountain – which is also covered by the largest glacier in Mexico. Covering the vast glacier usually takes three hours, but the team would try and cross it in just 45 minutes. Roudayna was joined by intrepid ultramarathon runner and photographer Marcos Ferro and adventure film director Helios Nieto.
Seize the opportunity when it comes and then prepare yourself to do it. When I accepted this I knew I wasn’t ready…
Peak 2: Iztaccíhuatl
Dwarfed by the volcanic landscape while climbing Iztaccíhuatl
© Marcos Ferro/Red Bull Content Pool
Climbing Iztaccíhuatl
© Marcos Ferro/Red Bull Content Pool
Descending Iztaccíhuatl
© Marcos Ferro/Red Bull Content Pool
- Elevation: 5,230 m
- Last eruption: 1868
- O2 level at summit: 48 percent
A five-hour van journey took them from one peak to the next as Roudayna refuelled and rested. It was unknown what the risk of being at altitude and then suddenly stuck in a vehicle before being once again at altitude would be on her performance. The 30-year-old practised taekwondo and rowing as a child, before she became obsessed by running in adulthood. All of that has lead to a training regime of eight to 10 hours a day in a sport that "stops her from thinking". She won the 2016 and 2017 editions of the Spartan Race in Mexico and wanted to test herself even further with a unique challenge in her home country.
To make someone get up and say ‘you know what I want to be more than I thought I was…' That’s the point of all of this
Peak 3: Nevado de Toluca
The final climb under the stars
© Marcos Ferro/Red Bull Content Pool
Mission complete
© Andres Valencia/Red Bull Content Pool
22 hours 20 minutes and 20 seconds to scale three volcanoes
© Andres Valencia/Red Bull Content Pool
- Elevation: 4,680 m
- Last eruption: 1350 BCE (?)
- O2 level at summit: 56 percent
There’s no way of getting to Nevado de Toluca without going through Mexico City and its notorious bumper-to-bumper rush-hour traffic. The team got stuck for 2.5 hours as the clock counting down 24 hours ticked away. Arriving in darkness, with headlights guiding the way, they started the final climb at 10.45pm – with a mere four hours to complete the ascent and descent. Scrambling over boulders to a tearful summit at the top, the team had little time for glory as they quickly headed back down to the awaiting van. Stopping the clock, and completing all three summits in a staggering 22hs 20m 20s. Now how’s that for a day out?
