Ria Xi had been running for about six days when disaster struck. The 26-year-old was halfway through her incredible mission, each step under the desert sun bringing her closer to becoming the first person to complete a never-before-done ultramarathon route in Egypt.
Suddenly, one slip of her foot between the asphalt and the sand sent her tumbling – twisting her ankle in a way that any runner would dread. “I landed on my right ankle really hard and thought ‘this is over,’” Ria explained, adding that the incident had ironically happened on her “rest day” in a remote part of the Sinai Peninsula.
Ria was on a mission to run 550km across Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. She’d already completed hundreds of kilometres, endured testing desert elements and overcome countless mental hurdles when her swelling ankle cast uncertainty over whether she’d make it.
“I ended up running 46 kilometres on it anyway,” Ria explained, determined to push on. “Afterward, my foot was so swollen I didn’t think I could continue.” In that moment, Ria was also reminded of her strength, her past, and her resilience: something that she’d only truly discovered while running with the Bedouins in the desert.
“Even if I twist my ankle, get sick or face other setbacks, I can handle the pain and keep going. It’s a mindset that applies not just to running but to life,“ she explained. Miraculously, the swelling had subsided the following day, and she decided to press on.
The route Ria was running crossed the lands of eight Bedouin tribes and some of the nation’s highest mountain ranges. In late December 2024, Ria looked out across the expansive sandy landscape before her and started to run. Away from phone reception or any amenities, her goal was to run around 50km each day before camping under the stars.
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But running through the Sinai desert was no ordinary challenge. The route was unmarked, and the terrain was unpredictable, so she had to rely on local…
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