Becoming Your Best Self: Bitoh Tomomi / Personal Trainer, Ultramarathon Runner

"Direct Talk"

Our guest today is Bitoh Tomomi,

a personal trainer and ultramarathon runner.

She's competed in many grueling races.

In 2021, she came in 2nd in the women's race at the Marathon des Sables,

a seven-day, 250-kilometer run across the Sahara Desert.

In 2022,

she ran a 50-kilometer obstacle course

known as the Spartan Ultra

where she came in 1st place in the women's race.

She's also competed in a fitness and figure competition

where she won 1st prize in the bikini category.

Bitoh became an athletic competitor in her late 20s.

Her passion and drive have paved her road to success.

Today she shares the story behind her journey.

Actually, I don't like tough challenges.

I'm the kind of person who wants to shy away from things like that.

But it's because of that weakness, it's because I want to be strong,

that I publicly declare my goals and ambitions.

That's how I keep myself on track.

Morocco, north Africa.

The Sahara Desert stretches to the horizon.

The Marathon des Sables

is a seven-day, multistage race that covers roughly 250 kilometers.

Founded in 1986,

it's known as one of the most difficult foot races in the world.

When Bitoh ran in 2021,

there were 672 entrants.

"All right, let's go! Look at this weather!"

Temperatures during this year's race regularly topped 50 degrees Celsius.

The severe conditions drove many runners to drop out.

Only 47% managed to make it to the finish line.

Not only was Bitoh among them,

she came in 2nd overall in the women's race

despite the fact it was her first time.

It was my first time running a race abroad, so everything was new to me.

But I think I was able to stay focused precisely because I didn't know what was going on.

Bitoh's trademark is her unbridled positivity

which was cultivated in her childhood.

Born in 1990,

she loved being physically active as a kid.

She was on the cheerleading squad in high school and university.

She also loved working with children.

After graduating, she became a nursery school teacher.

She found interacting with kids deeply rewarding,

but she wasn't getting regular exercise,

which eventually began to take a toll on her body.

I noticed I was losing a lot of muscle mass and definition.

At the time, low-carb diets were all the rage.

No corn, no tomatoes.

So, I'd been trying to cut carbs out of my diet,

but that led to a big rebound.

I started scarfing down snacks.

I'd lose five kilos, only to regain six.

Experiencing that made me realize my autonomic nervous system was out of whack.

Determined to change,

Bitoh began taking classes to become a personal trainer.

By eating right and engaging in regular physical activity,

I eventually learned how to get my body under control.

I pictured all the women out there who've adopted the wrong diet.

That made me want to become a trainer that really engages clients' needs.

Bitoh became a personal trainer at 28.

But as a latecomer to the game with no reputation to speak of,

she had trouble getting her business off the ground.

She thought long and hard about how she could attract clients.

And then it hit her.

She decided to run a full marathon.

I figured I could make running my "thing,"

brand myself as a trainer with a knack for running.

So I decided to run marathons.

Bitoh ran her first marathon that same year.

She managed to finish the race in under four hours.

There's tons of runners out there who can run a sub four-hour marathon,

so I knew that wasn't enough.

At the end of 2018,

Bitoh met the person who'd inspire the next leg of her journey.

Yahara Rika was introduced to me as having run this

250-kilometer race across the Sahara Desert.

I thought 250 kilos across the Sahara Desert?

What does that even mean?

I sat down next to her because I wanted to hear more about her experience.

And hearing her story, it sounded so fun.

The very next day, Bitoh announced on her social media

that she intended to win the Marathon des Sables.

By publicly declaring your goals,

you can keep yourself on track with clarity of purpose,

plus, you don't allow yourself an "out."

You keep your resolve from wavering.

I'm sure some saw my declaration and thought,

this person must be kidding themselves.

But I figured even if I wasn't able to win or become world number one,

I wasn't going to make anyone angry by falling short.

Bitoh began training hard to prepare herself to run an ultramarathon.

She ran in as many marathons as she could,

and even managed to break the three-hour barrier.

She launched a crowdfunding campaign

in order to cover travel costs and the entry fee.

But then the 2020 race was canceled amid the pandemic.

Undeterred, Bitoh stayed the course and continued her preparations.

She bought the gear she needed,

including special shoes for desert conditions,

and seven days-worth of clothes and food.

And then finally it was time to for the 2021 race.

"I've arrived. Wow!"

"Look at this weather! Not a cloud in sight."

The Marathon des Sables is traditionally held in April,

but due to the pandemic, the 2021 race took place in October.

October comes right after summer,

so it was way hotter than previous races with temperatures above 50.

"I'm just 2 km into the race. This is really tough."

For Bitoh, it was a trial by desert fire.

"Runners are passing me left and right."

You have to carry seven days-worth of clothes, food and supplies with you.

All in all, I carried about nine kilos of gear.

I carried a GoPro with me because I knew I had many supporters cheering me on.

I wanted to show them what I was seeing

and show them what kind of race it was.

"The sand is soft and loose. I'm getting no grip on this surface."

"This is hard."

"And this heat is brutal."

It was super hot with temperatures above 50.

Doctors on the medical team were collapsing.

On Day 2, the temperature peaked at 52.8 degrees.

One runner died after suffering cardiac arrest.

Already on Day 2,

I had the impression the number of runners had gone down considerably.

The conditions were different from what I was used to,

and I developed blisters on my feet

which I popped and drained myself.

I told myself this is all just part of the experience.

Still, it was quite painful.

After finishing each stage,

runners stay in tents set up along the course.

Bitoh says she had a hard time falling asleep.

The tents are close together, so I'd hear people vomiting.

I'd be woken up by the sounds.

Basically, I think just about everyone got sick.

Everyone looked unwell.

We'd line up at the start of the day, and there'd be people throwing up.

Bitoh felt her physical condition slowly worsening.

"My legs aren't having it. Maybe it's heat exhaustion."

She was struggling with nausea and intestinal problems.

"There's a long way to go. I'll give it my best."

Then came Day 4,

the 82.5-kilometer overnight stage

where runners need to keep going into the night.

It's the most grueling leg of the race.

"What can you do?"

"I'm going to keep going, even if I have to walk it."

"Up and down and up and down."

"Maybe 20 uphills and downhills so far."

"This is tough."

"I'm exhausted."

Navigating through in the dark,

Bitoh completed the 82.5-kilometer stage in about 15 hours.

By the final stage, Bitoh had regained her strength.

She started the day in 3rd place, about 10 minutes behind 2nd.

"Today I'm putting away my camera."

"I'm going to do my best to make it to the finish line"

"so I can raise the Japanese flag."

Bitoh had a plan to finish strong.

Up until that point, I tried to keep pace with the leader of the women's race.

But this time, I decided to keep pace with the men.

There was this one runner who was tall,

so I stuck behind him to try to stay out of the wind and sun.

I basically ran in his shadow and pushed through to the end.

I didn't look back once.

I kept my eyes ahead, determined to run as hard as I possibly could.

Her final push paid off,

and she moved ahead one place to finish 2nd in the women's race.

Her total time was 34 hours, 39 minutes, and 17 seconds.

Sure, there's a part of me that's disappointed I didn't come in 1st,

but I don't think I've ever been so happy in my life.

I was just so glad I decided to run the race.

Bitoh was just getting started.

She entered a bikini fitness competition held in Japan.

In just a few short months, she built her body into incredible shape

and took 1st prize in her category.

Then in August 2022,

she flew to Hawaii to take part in the Spartan Ultra.

It's a grueling race featuring 60 obstacles across a 50-kilometer course.

She went up against some of the world's fiercest competitors

and became the first person from Japan to win the women's event.

Today, Bitoh's superhuman accomplishments

have made her a personal trainer in high demand

with no shortage of clients looking for some fitness inspiration.

Tomomi-san is overflowing with positive energy.

When you come to her gym, you leave feeling uplifted.

Great job!

Setting big goals is important,

but I'm a firm believer that it's about starting small

and starting with the things you can do.

Build on that, one thing at a time.

I managed to do this today, maybe tomorrow, I'll try doing that.

The most important thing is to keep moving towards your big goals

one step at a time.

(Do you have any words to live by?)

"Seize your dream."

You only live once, so you should enjoy it for all it's worth.

I'm of the mind that you're in charge of your life.

So do the things that you want to do.

It's not worth wasting your time on doing things begrudgingly.

And set lots of goals for yourself.

Achieving them over time is what's going to make your life fun and fulfilling.

(Bitoh is training to win the 2023 Marathon des Sables)