Ultrarunning
More peaks than troughs: Everything you need to know about Fernanda Maciel
Since giving up her career in Brazil to take on some of the world’s toughest terrain, Fernanda Maciel has become one of the world's most experienced ultrarunners.
At 4,478m of altitude, the Matterhorn has entailed personal tragedy and her own hospitalisation for Fernanda Maciel. But she recently conquered her own demons to reach its top in the same 24 hours as having climbed Gran Paradiso.
After her emotional, mental and physical feat, here are 10 things you need to know about the Brazilian.
1. She used to work as an environmental lawyer
Before committing herself full-time to ultrarunning, Maciel worked in the legal field focusing on the environment in her native Brazil. It was something she did for five years but, 15 years ago, she decided to walk away.
Of that former work, she said: “I don’t miss this, as I chose to leave my job as a lawyer. When you work for the state and the country, you realise that there’s lots of politics involved, so much bureaucratic stuff.”
2. She's inspired by the star of Free Solo
The Brazilian has two main role models within her running and climbing fields: one is pioneering ski-mountaineer Hilaree Nelson, the other is Alex Honnold, who famously became the first man to free solo Yosemite’s El Capitan, which turned into the Oscar-winning film Free Solo.
But it's less their sporting feats than other things that have inspired her. She said: “Take Alex, he’s created his foundation and I support that. I think it’s very interesting as an athlete to be able to help.”
3. She also aspires to perfection… like Nadia Comaneci
Growing up, Maciel was a budding gymnast – her first real sporting passion – and her inspiration was Nadia Comaneci, the Romanian gymnast who famously achieved the first clean sweep of perfect 10s to win Olympic gold back in 1976.
“She was the only one that had perfection,” said Maciel. ”And that must have taken so much training as well. Some sports you can train and be a champion, but, with gymnastics, it’s crazy, there’s so much training but also skills. She, for me, was really achieving the maximum of her potential.”
Maciel sets a new FKT on Gran Paradiso
© Mathis Dumas/Red Bull Content Pool
4. Her dream is to run and climb up Mount Everest
If money were no object, the 40-year-old says that tackling Everest and running up it where possible would be the dream achievement.
Whether it's something she'll pull off, she has no idea. She said: “My dream project is Everest, but that's a lot of money. I hope I can do it in the future. I really need to get more experience. Next year I aim to run 8,000 metres in the high mountains because I need to get this high mountain experience and also to know my speed.”
5. Her grandfather tried to return to jiu jitsu aged 75!
Maciel’s gene pool is not one of ultrarunners or climbers, instead their sporting background comes in the world of martial arts.
Her grandfather was a jiu jitsu champion while her father turned into a master of capoeira. However, her and the family had to rein in grandpa with regards to martial arts in later life. She added: “My grandfather tried to return to fighting when he was 75, but it was too dangerous!”
Since I was 15 years old, I knew my mission in the world was to protect the environment
6. She ran to school because it was quicker and cheaper than the bus
When Maciel was still in school, she decided to put on her running shoes as the best way to get to class.
She explained: “It was faster running than getting the bus and I didn’t want to ask my dad for money for the bus! So, I went there and came back running to my house. It’s built on the hills so it was up and down – that was hard, very steep.”
7. She feared she'd gone blind when climbing the Matterhorn…
On a previous Matterhorn attempt, the conditions were so bad that her eyelids were frozen shut and she feared she was going blind.
Recalling that moment, she said: “I couldn’t open my eyes and I was alone for three days in this hospital bed. I was in this hospital where no one spoke English. But the second day an Italian nurse and I could speak and she got my mobile to call a friend and explain that I was there. That time I thought I was becoming blind – the scariest moment of my life in that hospital.”
Maciel on her record-breaking run on Aconcagua
© Gustavo Cherro/Red Bull Content Pool
8. Her flatmate Gonzalo also lost his life on the same mountain
Tragedy struck for Maciel when her Argentinian flatmate died while taking a British client up the infamous Matterhorn, which made climbing it herself an even more “emotional challenge”.
She remembered: “I lost Gonzalo. We had dinner one day before and I was leaving for a race in Austria. I arrived there and a colleague said a big rock had fallen and killed Gonzalo and his English client. That had a big impact on me and I couldn’t race well.”
9. The day after conquering the Matterhorn, a huge landslide struck it
Maciel was weighing up whether to take on her Gran Paradiso-Matterhorn double challenge on the Thursday or Friday of the week in question. She opted for the Thursday, a wise move bearing in mind the events of the next day.
She revealed: “On the Friday, a helicopter had to rescue 20 alpinists because of a landslide. I had so much luck on what’s a dangerous mountain. There are so many rock falls there with climate change.”
10. Her goal is to help save the planet by running
Aside from her various expeditions, climate change is the thing that drives her both in those sporting quests, but also in her wider life.
Explaining her green approach to sport and wider life, she said: “Since I was 15 years old, I knew my mission in the world was to protect the environment. I love nature and feel at home in the mountains. That’s my house and this is why I have so much pleasure there. I think it’s a better job inspiring people in the mountains – more positives than working inside like before.
“It’s always a running challenge, but it’s a social point as well, like protecting the winter and showing there are fewer glaciers. Like with the Matterhorn, each year it’s more dangerous with crevasses and more landslides. You can see climate change happening.”