I Was Definitely Suicidal. I Was Going To Do It With A Gun

Top US ultra runner Nikki Kimball has suffered with depression since 1994.Here’s how she stays afloat.

- Sean McFarlane

Maybe it’s surprising for a top distance runner who has won all the big races, but Hoka One One athlete Nikki Kimball has always been very open about her long term struggles with depression, and does all she can to speak out about the subject. Between 2004 and 2007, this grinning, curly-haired fireball of determination from Bozeman, Montana, won the Western States 100-mile race three times, as well as the Ultra-Trail du Montdlish Blanc in France. During her running career, the 45-year-old has laid down countless US races and records, most recently winning the famous Saharan multi-day race the Marathon des Sables, in 2014. Her 2012 woman’s record on Vermont’s 273-mile Long Trail was made into the documentary Finding Traction, which she toured to Sheffield Adventure Film Festival, taking the opportunity to also speak candidly to audiences about mental health and women’s sport.

We caught up with Nikki to find out more about how trail running saved her life, and what she’s doing to help save the lives of many more beside… 

Congratulations on the latest women’s Long Trail record. How long did it take you to recover? Oh man, several months – a lot longer than a 100-mile race. But I was injured going into it, with a hernia that needed surgery. A month-and-a-half later I attempted a 50-mile race, but kept falling over because I couldn’t lift my leg.