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

Bitoh Tomomi came in second place in the women's race of the 2021 Marathon des Sables, a 250km multi-stage run across the Sahara Desert. She talks about her passion for pushing her limits.

Transcript

00:03

"Direct Talk"

00:08

Our guest today is Bitoh Tomomi,

00:11

a personal trainer and ultramarathon runner.

00:18

She's competed in many grueling races.

00:21

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

00:26

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

00:34

In 2022,

00:36

she ran a 50-kilometer obstacle course

00:39

known as the Spartan Ultra

00:42

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

00:49

She's also competed in a fitness and figure competition

00:53

where she won 1st prize in the bikini category.

00:58

Bitoh became an athletic competitor in her late 20s.

01:07

Her passion and drive have paved her road to success.

01:12

Today she shares the story behind her journey.

01:19

Actually, I don't like tough challenges.

01:23

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

01:27

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

01:30

that I publicly declare my goals and ambitions.

01:35

That's how I keep myself on track.

01:40

Morocco, north Africa.

01:43

The Sahara Desert stretches to the horizon.

01:47

The Marathon des Sables

01:49

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

01:54

Founded in 1986,

01:56

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

02:00

When Bitoh ran in 2021,

02:03

there were 672 entrants.

02:07

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

02:12

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

02:18

The severe conditions drove many runners to drop out.

02:23

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

02:28

Not only was Bitoh among them,

02:31

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

02:35

despite the fact it was her first time.

02:39

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

02:44

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

02:52

Bitoh's trademark is her unbridled positivity

02:56

which was cultivated in her childhood.

03:00

Born in 1990,

03:02

she loved being physically active as a kid.

03:08

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

03:15

She also loved working with children.

03:18

After graduating, she became a nursery school teacher.

03:23

She found interacting with kids deeply rewarding,

03:27

but she wasn't getting regular exercise,

03:29

which eventually began to take a toll on her body.

03:35

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

03:39

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

03:42

No corn, no tomatoes.

03:44

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

03:47

but that led to a big rebound.

03:50

I started scarfing down snacks.

03:52

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

03:56

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

04:02

Determined to change,

04:04

Bitoh began taking classes to become a personal trainer.

04:10

By eating right and engaging in regular physical activity,

04:14

I eventually learned how to get my body under control.

04:20

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

04:24

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

04:30

Bitoh became a personal trainer at 28.

04:34

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

04:38

she had trouble getting her business off the ground.

04:42

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

04:47

And then it hit her.

04:50

She decided to run a full marathon.

04:56

I figured I could make running my "thing,"

04:58

brand myself as a trainer with a knack for running.

05:02

So I decided to run marathons.

05:05

Bitoh ran her first marathon that same year.

05:09

She managed to finish the race in under four hours.

05:15

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

05:20

so I knew that wasn't enough.

05:25

At the end of 2018,

05:27

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

05:33

Yahara Rika was introduced to me as having run this

05:36

250-kilometer race across the Sahara Desert.

05:40

I thought 250 kilos across the Sahara Desert?

05:44

What does that even mean?

05:46

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

05:50

And hearing her story, it sounded so fun.

05:55

The very next day, Bitoh announced on her social media

05:59

that she intended to win the Marathon des Sables.

06:04

By publicly declaring your goals,

06:07

you can keep yourself on track with clarity of purpose,

06:11

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

06:14

You keep your resolve from wavering.

06:18

I'm sure some saw my declaration and thought,

06:21

this person must be kidding themselves.

06:25

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

06:30

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

06:35

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

06:42

She ran in as many marathons as she could,

06:45

and even managed to break the three-hour barrier.

06:52

She launched a crowdfunding campaign

06:54

in order to cover travel costs and the entry fee.

06:57

But then the 2020 race was canceled amid the pandemic.

07:04

Undeterred, Bitoh stayed the course and continued her preparations.

07:10

She bought the gear she needed,

07:11

including special shoes for desert conditions,

07:14

and seven days-worth of clothes and food.

07:20

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

07:26

"I've arrived. Wow!"

07:31

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

07:37

The Marathon des Sables is traditionally held in April,

07:41

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

07:48

October comes right after summer,

07:50

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

07:57

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

08:05

For Bitoh, it was a trial by desert fire.

08:08

"Runners are passing me left and right."

08:10

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

08:15

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

08:19

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

08:26

I wanted to show them what I was seeing

08:29

and show them what kind of race it was.

08:33

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

08:39

"This is hard."

08:43

"And this heat is brutal."

08:46

It was super hot with temperatures above 50.

08:49

Doctors on the medical team were collapsing.

08:53

On Day 2, the temperature peaked at 52.8 degrees.

08:58

One runner died after suffering cardiac arrest.

09:03

Already on Day 2,

09:05

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

09:09

The conditions were different from what I was used to,

09:12

and I developed blisters on my feet

09:15

which I popped and drained myself.

09:17

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

09:21

Still, it was quite painful.

09:25

After finishing each stage,

09:27

runners stay in tents set up along the course.

09:31

Bitoh says she had a hard time falling asleep.

09:36

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

09:40

I'd be woken up by the sounds.

09:43

Basically, I think just about everyone got sick.

09:46

Everyone looked unwell.

09:48

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

09:54

Bitoh felt her physical condition slowly worsening.

09:58

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

10:03

She was struggling with nausea and intestinal problems.

10:08

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

10:15

Then came Day 4,

10:17

the 82.5-kilometer overnight stage

10:20

where runners need to keep going into the night.

10:23

It's the most grueling leg of the race.

10:26

"What can you do?"

10:28

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

10:35

"Up and down and up and down."

10:38

"Maybe 20 uphills and downhills so far."

10:44

"This is tough."

10:46

"I'm exhausted."

10:52

Navigating through in the dark,

10:54

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

11:03

By the final stage, Bitoh had regained her strength.

11:06

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

11:13

"Today I'm putting away my camera."

11:17

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

11:20

"so I can raise the Japanese flag."

11:27

Bitoh had a plan to finish strong.

11:32

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

11:37

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

11:41

There was this one runner who was tall,

11:43

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

11:47

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

11:53

I didn't look back once.

11:55

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

12:01

Her final push paid off,

12:04

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

12:10

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

12:18

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

12:22

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

12:27

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

12:33

Bitoh was just getting started.

12:39

She entered a bikini fitness competition held in Japan.

12:43

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

12:47

and took 1st prize in her category.

12:53

Then in August 2022,

12:55

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

12:59

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

13:08

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

13:12

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

13:20

Today, Bitoh's superhuman accomplishments

13:23

have made her a personal trainer in high demand

13:26

with no shortage of clients looking for some fitness inspiration.

13:32

Tomomi-san is overflowing with positive energy.

13:39

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

13:49

Great job!

13:52

Setting big goals is important,

13:54

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

13:57

and starting with the things you can do.

14:01

Build on that, one thing at a time.

14:03

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

14:07

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

14:12

one step at a time.

14:15

(Do you have any words to live by?)

14:22

"Seize your dream."

14:25

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

14:30

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

14:33

So do the things that you want to do.

14:36

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

14:41

And set lots of goals for yourself.

14:44

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

14:52

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