It's hard to imagine how the best mountain runner in Spain came from Almagro, in the heart of the La Mancha plain, with horizontal landscapes. It is more surprising to hear Gemma Arenas (1979) describe her exceptionality. She has just won the world bronze medal in the 100 kilometers on the road (7:17:50, with a national and world record for her age) and conquered the Ultra Pirineu, from the asphalt to the mountain slope in just a couple of weeks, but she was not born an athlete. A life later, he 'became' an ultra-distance runner.
«While pregnant with our second daughter, my husband went to do the 101 (kilometers) of Ronda. And I really liked the experience and I said: 'Next year I'm going to run it.' I had never run that far, but I went and won it. And from there...», he recalls, as if the feat were anything. It was 2014 and I was 35 years old, had a job since I was 19, and had a family. It was the germ of what is today a world-class ultra-distance runner.
Gemma accumulates around 140 kilometers of running per week in loading periods. She goes and returns along the roads to the surrounding towns, with music to make the journey enjoyable and the neighbors, who already know her, encouraging her. He continues working in his lifelong company, ToryTrans, also juggling with Lucas and Nora, 15 and 13 years old. «When I started running in the mountains they were very little. I have had to take time away from the family, but they have done it. They no longer give it importance, they tell me: 'We met you like this,'" she explains naturally and details her routines, always sponsored by Agustín, her husband, who is also her coach. «I have part time, and 15 days I don't work and another 15 I work full time. That first fortnight I have a lot of time for long training sessions. The second time I do feel overwhelmed: the children, the house, work... I finish at six in the afternoon, which in winter is almost night, and you have to go out to train. But in the end it comes out," he admits.
Another of Gemma's peculiarities is her versatility. It is capable of competing in the mountains - in 2022 it was third in the world in Ultratrail, in Chiang Mai, Thailand - and on asphalt with guaranteed performance. «I like the mountains more because of the landscape and because it is really what I do most, but I never neglect training on the flat because I consider that they are necessary to be fast. I usually do a couple of socks and a marathon a year, so as not to lose that spark," says as if nothing happened to the woman who prematurely proved gifted in the technique despite the fact that around Almagro she can barely simulate it on any trail. Therefore, visits to Despeñaperros and a secret: "Competing a lot as a stimulus."
But running for hours, alone, entails not only the physical and nutritional part, for which he resorts to the classic, "quince, milk bread with fresh cheese spread and sometimes salty crackers." The mental aspect is tougher, the ability not to give up, not to listen to the weak side. «They are very long races and you have to have a very good mind. Many times you think negative things. 'What am I doing here, what need do I have?' Sometimes a tear escapes. But you have to turn the tables. “Thinking about the people who support you,” acknowledges who, like so many others, has no choice but to resort to mental games. «With 100 kilometers ahead, you have no choice but to deceive yourself. When I'm halfway through, I start subtracting. Kilometers, food stations... », he admits.
Gemma shared a room and national team last month at the World Cup in Ames (La Coruña) with the influencer Verdeliss (Arenas was third and Estefanía Unzu, sixth, taking the team silver with Carmen María Pérez and María Romero). It is the other side of his job. The media part, in which she, however, cannot be seen: «I'm not good for that, to be on my cell phone all day. "I neither have time nor does it come naturally to me," he reflects on how social networks influence the impact of athletes, from respect and admiration to Verdeliss: "A super nice girl, very nice. "We hit it off." Nor can he imagine, on his way to 48, making the leap to professionalism: "It's not worth it for me to leave my job now. "I don't change my life."
From simplicity, effort and consistency, what excites Gemma is what she transmits with her example to many people. «On Instagram they write to me, that I am their inspiration. Some mother who works and has also started running. The truth is that it fills me with pride, more than winning a race. Being able to help people be happy and start something because they have seen me, it seems amazing to me," he concludes.
