Cover Natalie Dau is preparing to embark on Project 1000, a 1,000km journey on foot from Thailand to Singapore
Natalie Dau is preparing to embark on Project 1000, a 1,000km journey on foot from Thailand to Singapore
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Athlete Natalie Dau is due to run 1,000km from Thailand to Singapore over the course of 12 days from May 25. She shares what drove her to embark on Project 1000, how she's been preparing for it, and what she's actually looking forward to about her toughest challenge yet
The starting gun fired and Natalie Dau was off. Five kilometres into the run, her headphones broke. There were still 95km to go.
It was Dau’s first ultra-marathon, defined as any race longer than the standard marathon, but typically a 50km, 100km, 50 mile or 100 mile race, and she admits that she was quite unprepared, especially when it came to fuelling.
However, halfway through the race she saw her husband who told her how well she was doing. Dau was placing in the top five. She kept on running.
“I discovered that it was this addictive moment of being so present that you’re not thinking about anything, and I loved it,” recalls Dau.
Above Natalie Dau became addicted to the flow state that ultra-running allows her to experience
Natalie Dau became addicted to the flow state that ultra-running allows her to experience
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She just kept putting one foot in front of the other until she passed the last person ahead of her. Dau won the first ultra-marathon she ran, fuelled by baby food.
“From that moment I was addicted,” says Dau, who had only started running regularly in her 30s. “I was addicted to that flow state that I hadn’t been able to experience through anything else.”
In the five years since her first ultra-marathon win, which took place in Singapore in 2019, she now counts ten ultra wins. In each, she has either come first overall or been the first woman to cross the finish line.
The ultras have ranged in distance up to 200 km, her longest—and toughest—to date.
“It was so far out of my comfort zone,” says Dau of the notoriously challenging Titi 200km Ultra in Malaysia, which she completed in 2023, at the end of which she recalls hallucinating. “I thought about giving up several times during that race.”
However, none of these feats quite compares to what Dau, who is an Asics-sponsored athlete and ambassador for a number of sports and wellness brands, is about to attempt.
See also: 5 Things to know about the extreme Barkley Marathons and Jasmin Paris, the first woman to conquer it
Project 1000
On May 25, Dau will set off from Hat Yai in Thailand on a 1,000km journey that will see her head down the length of Malaysia and back through Singapore, the place she has called home for the last 21 years, on foot.
For Project 1000, the 52-year-old will run the equivalent of two marathons per day over the course of 12 days. The final two marathons on June 5, Global Running Day, will take her through Singapore, beginning in Woodlands and going back and forth across the island to finish at The Westin Singapore.
If she completes the solo run, she will set a Guinness World Record for the “Fastest Crossing of Peninsular Malaysia on Foot”, as well as a Singapore Record for the “Fastest 1000 km Thailand-Singapore Ultramarathon”.
“Sometimes you’ve got to do something crazy to bring attention to different causes,” says Dau, whose idea for Project 1000 was sparked last year.
In 2023, Dau raced extensively, including completing four ultras and four marathons, but says that she had wanted to find a way to “do some good through my running”.
“Women and girls in sport is a hot topic and that’s great for girls already doing sport, who are lucky enough to have access, but there are a lot that aren’t. So it’s trying to give underprivileged girls access to everything sport can teach them, whether that’s teamwork, body empowerment, decision making, all those things that I’m a true believer that sport can do,” says Dau.
See also: Alicia Lui Is Using Sport to Empower Women and Girls in Hong Kong
Through Project 1000, Dau is raising funds for global charity GRLS, which works to elevate women and girls around the world through sport and exercise, helping them to develop leadership skills and the ability to exercise their rights.
She will also be giving back directly on the go, presenting scholarships to girls at five schools in Thailand on the course of her run, and also working with social enterprise Luuna to distribute menstrual products to women and girls in an effort to highlight this taboo topic and drive conversation around it. (Dau is co-author of the book Run Like A Woman, which addresses the stigma around menstruation and sportswomen, and highlights how to use your menstrual cycle to train smarter.)
Additionally, Dau’s endeavour will serve as an inspiration to others as she demonstrates the power of perseverance and determination, and challenges not only herself but societal expectations.
See also: Harnessing the power of your period
What it takes
Above Natalie Dau is looking forward to the non-racing element of Project 1000
Natalie Dau is looking forward to the non-racing element of Project 1000
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“I’m looking forward to the non-racing element,” says Dau of the upcoming challenge. “It’s not about having to push my limits every single time I run. There’s no one chasing behind me. I’m looking forward to taking my time and getting the runs done.”
A typical week for Dau usually includes six days of running, totalling between 100 and 150 kms, with strength workouts on top. But the run-up to Project 1000 has seen double-run days, which Dau says are “good mental training” as she is forced to lace up her shoes and get her sweat on again every afternoon in a second gruelling session.
She has some trepidations ahead of Project 1000—mainly around encountering wild dogs, which are common in her experience running ultras in Malaysia, but also the ever-present possibility of injury, as well as smaller physical ailments, such as chafing, that can nevertheless be debilitating. Gastro problems, she says, are par for the course, and she acknowledges that she will no doubt be “throwing up at multiple points. It doesn’t scare me; it’s just making sure I have enough fuelling and can recover.”
Physically, Dau appears as ready as can be. “There’s only so much physical training you can do. When it gets tough, it’s down to the mental,” she says. To prepare mentally, she says she regularly completes long training runs without headphones so that she’s used to being with her own thoughts.
“For me, it’s down to why I’m doing this. Because there will no doubt be many dark times. I always tell myself when I’m racing that I’ve chosen to do this. No one is making me do it. I’m not saving lives. I’m lucky enough to be able to physically do it and to have the opportunity to be able to do this. So, it’s having those mantras.”
When the going gets tough, Dau will remember her why. Much of the route she'll be running is uncharted territory for her. And she's okay with that. She's embracing the unknown, too. “Control the controllable,” says Dau. “Life isn’t about planning for everything to be perfect.”
On June 5, which is Global Running Day, everyone is welcome to join Natalie Dau as she runs through Singapore. For information on the route and the best points and times at which to join her, visit Project 1000.
About
Rachel Duffell is regional content director for Power & Purpose, including Front & Female, and former regional content director for Tatler Dining. She is a journalist and editor who has been covering people, gender, impact, leadership, culture and lifestyle for more than 15 years.
