Holly Ranson is an Australian ultrarunner and endurance athlete who’s been breaking records and pushing limits. From setting a national record in the 24-hour race to breaking course records in 100 km races, Holly blends her expertise as a dietitian and psychology qualification to fuel not just her body but also her mind. Beyond the trails, she’s a passionate advocate for mental health and community causes, using her running journey to inspire and uplift others.
John O'Regan, Q1: Holly, your 24-hour race distance record of 263.5 km is phenomenal. Can you walk us through your pacing strategy and how you managed nutrition and hydration over the 24 hours?
My partner Nic and I designed a pacing strategy to meet the goal of 260 km. It consists of an average hourly pace and includes a walk-run strategy. It was designed to be more conservative initially compared to my 24 hour race in 2024 where I broke the national record for 12 hours, 100 miles and 200 km, but fell apart at the end due to a brain explosion that occurred after there was a problem with the official timing around 20 hours in, that resulted in no one knowing how far they had run.
Nutrition and hydration were also planned out on an hourly basis. However, after about 10 hours I vomited on the track several times, so I took a few hours to reset and then just fluids until the end of the race.
Q2: This distance is a new National & Continental* Record and earned you a place on the Australian Team to compete in the IAU 24hr World Championships in Albi. Was this a goal going into the race?
No, I was already the highest female qualifier for the Australian team based on the national record I set in the 24 hour race in 2024. As it is for most races, my goal was simply to do the best I can and see if I can execute my race plan. I wasn’t originally planning to run the Sri Chimnoy 24 hour race but it ended up being a bit of a redemption race as I missed Soochow 24 hour race in November 2024 due to injury, then targeted Tarawera Ultra Trail 100 km race in February but didn’t have a good day, so I decided about two weeks before the race that I was going to enter.
Q3: In your Backyard Ultra record run, how did you mentally and physically prepare for the stop-start nature of the event compared to continuous ultras?
I have done a couple of backyard ultras previously, so I had some idea what I was in for. I worked closely with my mindset coach Rob Mason to develop a toolbox full of strategies to overcome the unique mental challenges of Backyard Ultras. I also did some mini race simulations on the weekends leading up to the race to practice trying to sleep and eat in the short breaks between laps. I do gym work consistently which helps protect my body from injury in these long, repetitive races.
Q4: The Surf Coast Century 100 km course record you set in 2024 broke an 8-year-old mark. How did you approach training for this race, considering its terrain and elevation profile?
I tend to choose races that have terrain and elevation profiles similar to what I can access close to home. I didn’t have a long lead in to this race as I had only recovered from my previous 100 km trail race, The Guzzler, about six weeks before Surf Coast. If I had realised there would be a long soft beach section that was basically in the surf, I would have better used my location on the Sunshine Coast to my advantage and trained specifically for that!
Q5: What specific physiological markers or performance metrics do you monitor during ultras to gauge how your body is coping and when to adjust pace or fuelling?
Nothing specific. The pace and the nutrition is planned in advance; if I can’t stick to the plan, that’s the signal to adjust something! When I couldn’t stomach anything without throwing up at the last 24 hour race, I gave my body some time to reset itself and then my crew helped me improvise with some new nutrition options that they thought might work. We are pretty good at solving problems on the fly!
Q6: Can you describe how your background in dietetics and psychology informs your race-day fuelling strategies and mental toughness techniques?
My dietetics degree gives me the theoretical starting points for the nutrition, i.e the recommended number of grams of carbs per hour and glucose-fructose ratio. I mix this knowledge with my prior race experience and knowledge of my own preferences and needs to create the nutrition plan. I can’t take any credit for the mental techniques; that’s all my mindset coach Rob Mason. It probably helps our work together that I have a basic understanding of some psychological theories though.
Q7: How do you adjust your training and recovery cycles when preparing for back-to-back ultras or multi-day challenges?
I can’t really adjust my training at all because it’s all squeezed in around 8-hour work days, weekly 4 hour commutes to the office, and studying for my PhD. So I just do the maximum training I can fit in year round. Recovery is usually based on how injured I get in the ultras! I was forced to take about six weeks off after my 24 hour race in 2024 with a compartment syndrome-like injury, and five weeks after the backyard ultra this year with a massive hematoma in my quadriceps. If I’m not injured, I’ll take a week off running totally and then do some cross training or unstructured training for a few weeks. I’m a former cyclist, so my neglected road bike, mountain bike and bike trainer usually get some love in the weeks after a big race.
Q8: What are the key differences you experience in pacing and strategy between track-based ultras like the Sri Chinmoy 24-hour and trail ultras such as the Surf Coast Century?
In a trail ultra, the pacing is dictated by the terrain. There are usually technical or steep sections you have to walk, so the pacing is a lot less consistent. I don’t go in with an hour by hour pacing strategy like I would for a track ultra. If I have a pacing plan at all, it would be an average pace for the entire race, or for long sections of the race, for example the start to the first checkpoint or aid station (usually about 25km).
Q9: During ultra-distance races, runners often face significant gastrointestinal challenges. How have you developed your fuelling plan to mitigate these issues?
Bodies work in mysterious ways, always different and unpredictable depending on your nerves, the weather, the terrain, phase of menstrual cycle, what you’ve eaten in the days leading up and so forth. I don’t believe it’s possible to come up with a plan to mitigate all these complex and interacting factors - at least, I for sure don’t know how to do that! I’m very lucky my support crew are amazing problem solvers and can quickly shift gears from plan A to B, C or D to find something that will work if the dreaded GI issues hit.
Q10: Can you discuss any innovative training methods or technology you’ve incorporated into your preparation for these record-setting performances?
I can’t say I have any innovative training methods or technology. I don’t have time to review my training data, let alone research the latest in sports science. I live in hope that one day I’ll become a professional athlete, and I will have time to do these sorts of things and access to cool equipment, testing and technology!
Q11: Looking at your recent races, how do you balance speed versus endurance in your training to excel in both shorter ultras and extreme endurance events?
I include both speed and endurance training in my weekly training routine. Realistically, all ultras over 50km are races that you can’t do the race distance in training, so they all come down to conditioning, consistency, confidence, preparation, great crew, and mental skills!
Q12: How do you balance the physical and mental challenges that come with ultrarunning, especially during those long, tough races?
It’s valuable to know that the mind will always tell you to give up way before your body actually gives up. So you do everything you can to look after your physical self - eat, drink, fix your blisters, wear the right clothing, for example - and have confidence in your mental strength to take it from there.
Q13: What’s your favourite part about ultrarunning, and what’s the toughest challenge you’ve faced on the trail or track?
My favourite part of ultrarunning - that’s a hard one! I love meeting good people, being out in nature and enjoying beautiful scenery, testing myself and always learning about myself how to do this sport better.
Lots of tough challenges too. Not everyone is supportive, there are always a few people who do their best to make things hard for you - which I am grateful for because every challenge I overcome makes me more resilient and a better runner. I think the only challenge I haven’t overcome on the track or trail was the mental implosion following the timing issue at the 2024 Australian National 24 hour champs. I know I would do better if that happened again!
Q14: You’ve used your running to support community causes and mental health awareness. Can you tell us why that’s important to you?
It’s important to me to help people, especially when it comes to improving health, and I’ll use any opportunity or platform I have to be able to do that. Mental health is a big issue, especially within first responders, which is the field I work in. The more publicity it gets, the better - hopefully more light will be shone on the causes of poor mental health and action is taken to tackle the causes, rather than the symptoms.
Q15: For someone interested in starting ultrarunning, what advice would you give about training and staying motivated?
Having a goal to work toward (I.e an event you’re training for) is helpful for motivation. Be consistent with training, rather than all or nothing, and increase volume and intensity incrementally - doing too much too soon always comes back to bite you!
Q16: Outside of running, what do you enjoy doing to relax and recharge?
I don’t have time to relax! My life has been so jam packed with work, study and training for so long that I wouldn’t have a clue what to do with myself if I ever had down time ????
Q17: Have you a recovery strategy you will follow after the 24hr World Championships?
We are on a plane at 10am Monday bound for Copenhagen; we plan to see Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland in 9 days before flying home and going back to work on the 3rd Nov!
Q18: And finally, what’s next on your race calendar, and what goals are you aiming for in the near future?
Nothing locked in - need to see how I pull up from the race and travel first. My ultimate goal is to get an entry to Western States Endurance Run so I’ll be chasing a golden ticket race once I’ve rested and recovered. In saying that, my partner and I have both exhausted our leave from work and savings with this trip to France, so it will be tough to get to any more races in the next 12 months. On the off chance I make the Australian team for the backyard ultra satellite champs next October, I’d be keen to give that a go.
Thank you to Holly Ranson for sharing her time and insights with us. Her dedication to the sport, balanced approach to performance, and commitment to both physical and mental excellence make her an outstanding ambassador for ultrarunning.
As Holly prepares to represent Australia at the IAU 24-Hour World Championships in Albi, France, we wish her the very best of luck.
Interview by John O’Regan
IAU Communication Committee
* - Continental records require an application for ratification to be submitted
