Interview with Beth Aldridge — Running an Ultra Marathon & Iyengar Yoga

Suzi Carson – It’s not what I thought.

I imagined Beth would tell me that after each run, she practiced Supta Padangusthasana I to stretch out her tight legs.
But it wasn’t that.

Instead, it involved a Tupperware container —
and keeping still.

For the past year, Beth — General Manager at the Taupō Business Chamber, and a Yoga practitioner — has been training for an ultramarathon; 52.1 kilometres, to be exact.

Inspired by turning 50, and fuelled by her passion as a long-time parkrun participant, she began training alongside her friend Catt.

I met Beth Aldridge when she began her yoga teacher training at Four Winds Yoga.

When she later told me about her plans to run an ultramarathon, I asked if I could interview her — I was curious about how her yoga practice had supported her training for such an immense physical and mental challenge.

I loved that when I interviewed Beth, she naturally referred to each yoga asana by its Sanskrit name — a small detail that spoke volumes about her connection to the practice.

Training

“The training was exhausting — I was more tired after the training sessions than I was after the ultra itself.

All I wanted to do was go upside down — off the chair and onto the spike — and just stay there, often up to 30 minutes.

The yoga practice was regular, but simple:
chair, two blocks, and a wall.

A still, thirty-minute practice — no phone, no books, just quiet.

I did all the leg variations:

Viparita Karani

One leg bent

Half Swatiskasana

Half Padmasana 

All on one leg—maybe 15mins on each side.

On the Day

My approach to the run was based on this method: run 800 meters, then walk 200 meters. It felt a bit strange to start that way, especially when I was hyped up and eager to go.  

What Iyengar yoga has taught me is to slow down.

What’s the difference of 10 seconds per kilometer? Just slow down—otherwise, you’re going to miss it.  

I tripped — but caught myself mid-fall.

My inner leg had swung so far forward, I thought I’d torn the inner hamstrings clean off the sitting bones.
It felt like that had happened… but it didn’t.

I remember saying, “Thank fuck for yoga.”

There’s a lot of swearing out there.

Because you’re out there on your own for such a long time, you have to take a mini first aid kit with you, water and food —  just in case the aid stations run out.

You literally can’t get enough calories into you.

Top Tip? Marmite and cheese sandwiches – they’re a lifesaver!!

Finishing Line

I sprinted to the finish line—it felt amazing to still have energy left to do that.  

Stopping feels really strange after you’re used to constantly moving.

I sat on the floor to have our congratulatory beer, folded forward into Paschimottanasana, then Upavistha Konasana — but I just had to go back over something.

So I lay down over the closest prop I had: my Tupperware container.

It took a while to get into it — but once I was there, it was bliss.

My back popped and cracked. It felt so freeing.

Honestly, I think it was the best yoga I’ve ever done.

I still do it after spending time at the computer —
though not always with a Tupperware container!

I didn’t have the energy to get off the Tupperware, so I rolled onto my side, moved onto all fours, then into Uttanasana, and finally stood up.

Reflection

Running an ultra marathon was definitely one of the toughest things I’ve done. 

After running 52.1 km, I had no injuries and recovered without any issues—it reminded me how fortunate I am to have Iyengar Yoga in my life.  

Beth Aldridge & Suzi Carson