When you think of someone who ran the length of New Zealand in just over 20 days and smashed multiple treadmill endurance records, you might picture a single-minded athlete fuelled only by discipline and determination. But Emma Timmis turns that image on its head. With a bright smile and a twinkle in her eye, Emma isn’t just an ultrarunner—she’s a boundary-breaker whose feats are born from relentless grit and a deep curiosity about what’s possible. Holding not one, not two, but three Guinness World Records, Emma transforms extreme endurance into an adventure that radiates fun as much as it does tenacity.
So grab a cuppa, sit back, and enjoy as Emma peels back the layers of her extraordinary accomplishments—revealing how her greatest triumph lies not in the records themselves, but in rediscovering the joy of simplicity, inspiring others, and turning (almost) every challenge into a playground.
Let’s kick things off with the word fun. What does fun mean to you, and what’s the essence of that word in your life?
I think over the years my view of fun has probably changed. When I was younger, I thought that fun was about feeling instant excitement in something. But actually, life isn’t always like that. Sometimes the adventure might be quite challenging and difficult, and then the fun experience comes at the end. Maybe you go on a big mission with your friends, and it’s when you’re sitting in the coffee shop afterwards that you’re like: Wasn’t that fun? That was great! We had an amazing time! But at the time, it might have been awful.
Do you find fun is better when it’s shared, or do you prefer to experience it on your own?
For me, it’s a bit of both. I would say that I am an introvert, which means I enjoy spending time alone and I regain my energy alone. That said, I have a lot of fun and joy in my life from being around the right people. In the last few years, what I’ve really enjoyed is taking on these massive challenges that have involved having a crew. I love having these shared experiences with people, but they’re not necessarily with me the whole time.
What element of fun does a challenge need to offer before you’d even think about taking it on?
I guess in that respect it would have to be something that really appeals to me. You may know that I’ve done some treadmill challenges over the years. Well, the word fun most definitely would not fit into those challenges, as they are no fun! The fun part was the people and the mental challenge, but in terms of the activity, there was zero fun. That definitely made me rethink what I want to do next — and there has to be more of a fun side to it, haha.
Alright, back to fun! What’s fun about holding world records, since you’ve got quite a few?
Yeah, I do! And you know what? If I was to picture somebody with world records, it wouldn’t be me. If I think of somebody who has world records, it would be someone who is quite strict on themselves, quite singularly focused. In my mind, I think of someone so driven that they don’t have the other aspects of normal life that everyone else has.
Whereas I don’t see myself in that lens at all. I have a good social group and lots of friends, I do a lot of creative things, and I have a wide variety of different things I do in my life. I’m not single-focused, so I don’t see myself as being a world record holder — even though I am! And that’s when the fun comes in, as my world records prove that everyone could do something extraordinary.
Have you ever been in the middle of a challenge and thought it would be impossible to finish?
Oh, yes! Leading up to my seven-day treadmill challenge I hadn’t slept for four nights and after another sleepless night on day one, I started vomiting. On day three I passed out in the morning, and from that illness I really struggled to recover. I was just way off what I had anticipated I would complete each day. Way, way, way off. Instead of running I was walking a lot because I just couldn’t get the nutrition into my body, and every day I thought: I’m not going to make it. I was far off the record, until the last stretch when I had to run for 29 hours nonstop.
That is probably the only time I really thought: there is no way I can get to the end. The only thing that pulled me through was the people around me. They were amazing and somehow, I managed to pull it off. I still don’t know how.
What’s the fun in pushing your physical and mental abilities beyond what seems possible?
For me, the fun part is realising that there’s more afterwards. You push yourself to achieve something that really tests your physical and mental limits, and then when you’ve done it, you realise it was possible. And if that was possible, what else is possible? I’m a very curious person who is very interested in psychology and physiology and I think learning that I can achieve this thing and then wondering what else is possible after that is really exciting.
Was there ever a challenge that was so much fun you’d repeat it exactly the same way, without changing a thing?
Ten years ago, I cycled from Manchester to the Dolomites in northern Italy to go climbing with my climbing partner. On reflection, this was such a bizarre idea. When cycle touring, you’re on a heavy, generally steel-frame bike, you’ve got your camping equipment, your clothes, your food, and all the water you need for however long. Cycle touring is heavy. Rock climbing, and multi-pitch trad climbing in particular, has a lot of equipment, and it’s all very heavy. So combining these two sports was a little bit daft.
But we made it work by just doing something that we both loved: climbing and exploring by bike, which was really cool. For three months we lived a complete dirtbag lifestyle. We would cycle as far as we could in a day and pitch a tent in a farm, in a forest, or in a bush — somewhere that wasn’t a campsite. Sleep for the night, get up with the sun so we didn’t get caught by people, cycle as far as we could the next day, and do exactly the same again. Maybe once a week we’d check into a campsite so that we could wash ourselves and use a proper kitchen.
That trip was just the epitome of fun for me because everything was so simple. It was about food, shelter, water, and climbing in the most spectacular and beautiful climbing area I’ve ever been to. Trying to have the best fun we could and trying to survive. That was all we thought about, and it really opened my eyes to the beauty of a simple life. That experience definitely changed my life.
You’re also a motivational speaker. What’s the fun part for you in sharing your stories with others?
A lot of that fun comes from the feedback that I receive. There’s often a long time between talks that I give, and when you line yourself up to give another talk, everybody experiences a bit of nerves or anxiety, and I absolutely get that. But when you step off the stage and people, of their own accord, come up to you and say: “This really resonated with me, this has made an impact on me, I’ve been through something similar!” – it’s so rewarding! That’s pretty much the main thing I love about it. Making an impact on other people’s lives is such a good feeling.
And when you’re up there on stage, do you feel like you’re really helping people?
Yeah, definitely! When I do my motivational speaking, I also speak quite openly about physical and mental challenges I’ve been through and also about my upbringing, which was just very normal. I don’t come from a family of athletes, and people resonate with a lot of that. Also, people really appreciate vulnerability, which I’m quite happy to share if it means it changes someone else’s life.
You’re a running coach too. What kind of joy do you strive to implement with the people you coach that you’re also tapping from yourself?
I put a lot of variety into the training sessions I do, and I tend to include little mindset activities in my coaching as well, which might be quite unique. Over the years of doing all these endurance challenges, I’ve found that having different mental tasks or frames of mind can help you if you’re struggling. I like to pass on all of these little mental challenges that I do with myself to try and solve problems, onto my coaching clients as well. They might think I’m completely mad — I have no idea!
Coaching for me is not just about the physical side of it. I’m sure with AI nowadays anybody could download a program, but coaching for me is not just the program. It’s working with the individual, finding what makes them tick. Some people hate certain sessions and love others — everyone’s different. But that doesn’t mean they only get what they love, because that won’t work like that on race day either.
What’s something truly unique about yourself, or a character trait you really appreciate these days?
Recently, I’ve really been appreciating that my brain works in a very different way to a lot of other people. I’ve built a life that works with that. For many years, I battled against it — and I think that’s probably typical of people in their 20s and 30s. I’m into my 40s now, and I’m actually accepting that my brain does not work the same way as everyone else’s. Sometimes I can really focus, really hyper-focus on something. Other times, I can barely focus for two minutes. Now I’ve built a life around the way my brain works and my body works, and I’m really appreciative that I’ve taken the time to understand that.
Is there something about you that people often assume is true, but in reality it’s the complete opposite?
I think a lot of people probably think I’m a lot more regimented and organized than I really am. They assume that everything in my life is tidy and organised. Well… it’s not! It’s just that I’m very respectful of other people. When an activity involves others, I’ll always be on time and I’ll always get the work done that needs to be done. I’m very organized in that respect. But if you looked at my personal life, it’s all over the place.
What would you say is your biggest gift to the world?
Hopefully, it’s kind of what we touched on earlier. I think I’m just a normal person. I don’t think I’m particularly gifted with strength or endurance or anything like that. I work at it, and I work very hard. I hope people can see that an average person — just a normal, regular person from a very small city in the UK — is capable of doing whatever they want to do. I would hope that is kind of my gift to the world.
I think everybody is capable to an extent. We’re not all going to be athletes, we’re not all going to be brain surgeons or mathematicians, but there is something amazing that we can all do. It’s just finding that thing.
Do you think that to achieve something extraordinary, you have to really, really, really want it?
Yes, I do. Everything is so easy and so accessible now with the internet. People want something, but they don’t really want it. It’s often just a low-level ‘I want that’. While scrolling through their phone, they see an item they like, and they want it. They can press a button and it will arrive at their house in a few days. So they want it, but I think to be able to put your physical and mental self through the hardship of being on a treadmill for a week… you have to really, really, really want that. Because otherwise, come day two, you’re just going to get off and never get back on.
You inspire so many people, but who inspires you?
Ordinary people with busy lives who chase after their goals. I live alone, I don't have children, I don't have elderly parents that need caring for, and I don't have a demanding job where I have to spend 10 hours a day. The people that really inspire me are the ones who are dealing with all of that.
Often, it's the people that I coach. I know exactly what workouts I'm giving them, and I know what their family life and work life are like. Through data I see that they get up at 4:00 in the morning or they’re still awake at 11:00 at night. Sometimes I don’t feel like going out for a run. But then I think of all those people and go out anyway. Yeah, they really inspire me — all the people with real lives balancing everything to try and fulfill their dreams.
Throughout your challenges, you’ve faced both mental and physical breakdowns. When do those moments hit, and how do you bring yourself back to positivity and joy?
I have a good example from a recent race, where I found myself running in the cold up a hill that was way bigger than I’d imagined. As another runner passed me looking strong and effortless, my mind instantly went to that old story: she’s strong – you’re not.
With a lot of practice, I now have managed to catch those thoughts. Over many years, when I wasn't able to catch them, I would’ve spiraled into a deep hole of self-pity and probably just stopped and walked. Now I’ve learned to play a different game. The moment I caught that thought, I flipped it.
I told myself: “She is not stronger than you. You are not stronger than her. We are all capable of being just as strong.” I just had a mantra in my head: I am strong, I am strong, I am strong! So I kept running. The power of the mind is that nothing has to actually be true for the mind to believe it. For me, this is a little game that I’ve played with myself over the last five or so years: if I catch a negative thought, I find the opposite of it, and the more you practice, the quicker it comes…
When did you first consciously notice that this actually works?
I had my first big breakthrough during a run around Hagley Park. Towards the end my body felt really heavy, like I was sinking. So I thought, what’s the opposite word to that? The opposite word is buoyant. I just kept saying to myself: I am buoyant, I am buoyant, I am buoyant — and then my body felt like it was floating.
It’s a really cool little trick that I would recommend anyone try. We all beat ourselves up in different ways. We say different words. You might say, “I'm not good enough” or “I'm not fast enough.” Flip that word around. Find the opposite word and then repeat it — repeat it until you’re annoying yourself.
Do you agree that there are no heights without lows?
I feel like there is always some kind of balance, so perhaps there’s not much appreciation for one without the other. Like, if you were never sick in your whole life, you may not necessarily appreciate how good it feels to be healthy. I think pain highlights pleasure, and pleasure highlights pain. A life without both would be very bizarre.
You’ve mentioned that despite the hardships, you wouldn’t change them because of what you’ve learned. What’s the most uplifting lesson from past challenges that now makes you laugh when life gets tough?
A really good and valuable lesson to hang onto is that at the moment things get tough and you really want to stop, there will actually be more to give. There WILL be. Usually, your mind gives up waaaaay before your body even thinks about throwing in the towel.
You’ve managed to design your ideal life — something a lot of people dream of while stuck in daily habits, limiting thoughts, and boring routines. If someone wanted to break out, what would be the first step toward a freer, more enjoyable life?
What I've done is reflect upon the things that you did when there was no pressure, which is basically when you're a small child. So, what brought you joy when you were a kid, when you didn't have bills to pay or people to please? For me, it was running around, creating art, and climbing trees — and that's kind of what I'm filling my life with now. But everyone's different, you know… I have a friend who read books all the time when she was a child. So, if that person is missing themselves a little bit, maybe they're not reading anymore!
Beautiful! Okay, one more! What part of yourself is still yet to be tested?
I'm loving the outdoors and now I'm obsessed with this 100-mile distance. In the last nine months, I've done three 100-milers. It might be a bit too much, but it's just because the opportunities arose and I couldn’t miss them. This is the part that I really want to explore. I have a background in rock climbing and a background in long-distance running. I really want to explore how I can combine the two and where that can take me — like scrambling big mountain adventures.
I want to get muddy again. That's another memory from my childhood — just being covered in mud all the time, and my parents and grandparents telling me off because I was always muddy. But it brought me so much joy! So, muddy adventures outdoors are the way forward.
