1000 km. 12 days. 2 full marathons a day. Thailand. Malaysia. Singapore. Natalie Dau.
On 25 May, Natalie Dau will be taking on her biggest challenge yet, an epic adventure to complete 1,000 km in 12 days. You may know her by her social media handle @rockstararms.
Once again, Natalie is setting out to prove why she is just as her handle describes - a rockstar.
It’s 4am and somewhere in Singapore, Natalie Dau is putting on the running attire and shoes she left out the night before and heading out for her first run of the day. This was Natalie’s routine for months leading up to Project 1000.
When you are training to complete a 1000 km and have to clock in two long runs a day, four times a week, one would think that preparations the night before a training session would be focused on the complex. But regardless of the task ahead, simple things like eliminating the decision-making process and having things set out and ready the night before is key for Natalie.
“No matter how many times you run, it still gets hard so I try to take this decision-making process out so that I get myself out the door. I never hit snooze. It's a non-negotiable. It’s up, out, let’s get this done.”
“Then, coffee.”
Running 1000 km is an illusive thought to most of us or as Natalie describes it herself, “a number so huge you can’t even fathom it.”
When I first received the slides describing the run, purpose, and plan, I had to read it a second and then a third time to make sure I was reading it right.
1000 km. 12 days. 2 full marathons a day. Thailand. Malaysia. Singapore. Natalie Dau.
Who is Natalie Dau? Why 1000km? Those were the first two questions that came to mind.
Natalie is the co-author of “Run Like a Woman”, a bestselling book on Amazon, and founder of the highly-successful Rockstar Fit App. She travels the world as a guest speaker for corporate clients or at retreats. In her spare time, she is an accomplished athlete having won 10 Ultra Races, represented Asia at the Spartan Race World Championships and has been on the podium for many events.
The idea to run 1000 km first came about in August of 2023 when after a year of racing, Natalie was looking for a different challenge beyond a race start line. She wanted to do something with her running that would have a positive impact on other people. An idea that sparked from “I’ll just put on my shoes and off I go” soon evolved into a large-scale regional community event, with activities, partners and support throughout Thailand to Singapore.
Natalie will be contributing funds raised through Project 1000 to GRLS, a global charity and a part of Women Win, which works to elevate women and girls around the world through sport and exercise. With Project 1000, she hopes to empower females and ignite positive change through raising awareness of the gender gap in exercise and the challenges that many females face in prioritising exercise, including body image issues and fear of judgement.
With a 15-year-old daughter, this holds even greater meaning for Natalie. Embarking on Project 1000 will be the longest time Natalie has ever been away from her daughter. If you follow Natalie’s social media accounts, you will see glimpses of their beautiful relationship. Natalie will also be running through her daughter’s school on the last day of Project 1000 in Singapore.
“She’s very proud. She’s a basketballer, so she doesn’t love running, but she has been joining me on my second runs a lot and sharing that has been super nice and special. She is hugely proud of me, which is lovely.”
“As a female, I’m a massive believer in setting those boundaries that exercise is a time for me and is important for me and she respects that, and now she understands for herself that it’s important.”
Natalie’s husband and daughter will be flying out to support her in Thailand and back in Singapore. Project 1000 will not only be a grueling physical game but an equally challenging mental one, this is when support will be crucial.
“I definitely think that it’s going to come down to a mental game. Doing those double runs are preparing me to push myself. I usually listen to podcasts on my runs, but I've been doing my long runs with nothing playing just so I’m in my head the whole time and trying to train my mental side while I'm training my physical side.”
“It’s also about acknowledging, knowing and preparing that there are going to be ups and downs, and remembering why I’m doing it and what’s important.”
Arthur Tong, founder of Elevate Performance Coaching will be accompanying Natalie on a bike throughout her 1000 km as her handler. Arthur will be providing support in areas such as fueling strategy, hydration needs, pace monitoring, and ensuring Natalie’s safety as he rides next to her allowing Natalie to zoom in only on running.
There are so many ways in which you can join in and support Natalie and Project 1000. Donate to the cause, run alongside Natalie, cheer her on, or celebrate with her at The Westin Singapore Asia Square on Wednesday, 5 June as she crosses the finish line. The Singapore race route is available on the Project 1000 website. Don’t worry, the pace won’t be fast so everyone and anyone can join in. Running is always better with friends.
It’s easy to feel like athletes and changemakers live in a completely different realm. Then you speak to one and you realise that they struggle, have bad days and can also simply be motivated by that breakfast plate and coffee reward post workout. Their brave and extraordinary feats make us think like we could do something special too, or that we could and should at least try.
So, who is Natalie Dau? Woman. Inspiration. Rockstar.
Why 1000km? Because she can. #Project1000 #NatalieDau
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