The REAL Olympic Spirit: The Mom Who Ran 100 Miles

Motherhood is undoubtedly one of the toughest jobs there is, but some women make it look easy.

Jasmin Paris is one of them. Paris is not only a mother, but has somehow managed to be a clinical academic, small animal veterinarian, teacher, and ultramarathon runner.

Paris took life and literally ran with it. The mother became the first woman to ever complete a 100-mile ultramarathon called the Barkley Marathons and competed in the Spine Race — which is approximately 268 miles.

“The reason I originally signed up for it was because I was getting back into training after having my daughter, my first baby, and I wanted a new challenge. Something that would keep me motivated,” Paris tells James Poulos of “Zero Hour.”

When her daughter was 10 months old, Paris went back to work full-time, but that didn’t stop her from training for the Spine every day.

“It’s hard to compare yourself to the way you were before you had a child, but when you sign up for something completely new, and a completely different challenge, you have nothing to compare yourself to. You can just go into it completely fresh and excited,” she explains.

Poulos is deeply impressed.

“It’s a beautiful thing, that you divide your time, apart from your family of course, between caring for small animals in a professional manner and taking on some of the biggest challenges that just seem out of all human proportion,” he tells Paris.

One of the main reasons Paris is so committed is because she says that’s where she’s truly herself.

“Once you become a parent, I think it’s hard to do something outside of work that’s just about you. And I’ve personally found that running helps me be a better parent,” she explains. “I also think it’s really good for the next generation, that my kids see that I’m not just dragging them from swimming lesson to gym lesson, when my whole life revolves around them.”

“It’s good for them to see that I have a hobby too, because if you want them to grow up like that, with passion, ambition and belief in themselves, you have to set a good example,” she adds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMP6Vw00Nlc

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