His figures on the networks are overwhelming: 1.4 million followers on Instagram and 2.1 million subscribers on YouTube, where the nearly a thousand videos he has uploaded reach a whopping 669 million views. The Navarrese influencer Estefanía Unzu, better known as Verdeliss, gained fame for telling the world about the daily life of her large family -eight children-, but now her content is increasingly focused on a passion that she rediscovered with the pandemic, athletics. One day he decided to run a marathon and he is already on his 21st in just a year and a half. Now he is preparing for a new challenge, because on Sunday he will face his fifth major, the New York Marathon. He will do it just a couple of weeks after winning the Bilbao night marathon. Between one appointment and another, she makes time to talk about this sporting aspect that, she says, seems to have hooked her followers as much as herself.
-Why athlete?
-Let’s see, for me the world of athletics was not unknown. My father is a coach, my mother is part of the Navarra Federation and I practiced it as a child. What happens? The last time I competed was when I was 18, and from then on I led a completely sedentary life. Then the pandemic arrived and many of us were encouraged to return to sports. It’s what I did. I started running on the treadmill and I thought about how before you die you have to plant a tree, write a book, have a child and run a marathon. After having my last daughter, I ran the first one in Vienna, and the rush was such that I decided to do more. It happened that I was almost on the border of forty, I thought that we have two days and that I have already spent one. And I set myself a challenge to test myself, but also to enjoy my dream of traveling the world. That’s why I decided to run twelve marathons in twelve months. I did it surprisingly well and took away a number of experiences. I got to know Bombay, Tokyo, London, Brazil… The challenge was over and I continued running.
-Said that way it seems easy. But they are marathons and you have eight children…
-I think I have come to banish many myths. 90% of my workouts are on a treadmill. And they come together with my dynamic as a working mother, in which there are check-ups with the pediatrician, meetings with the school tutors… There are days when I am very tired or when I have not slept. I listen to my body. If I don’t have energy, I don’t run. And when I see that I can, I use the treadmill I have at home. Then I can be with the little ones while they play, do their crafts or read their books. That’s my trick. It’s thanks to the treadmill.
-I think it also takes the opportunity to watch series.
-Of course, and I have discovered a new world for me. Now I’m not only running, but I’m also watching the entire card. It’s an incentive, because I only see screens when I’m on the treadmill. So, a chapter ends and it is a motivation for the next day because I am left wanting to know more.
-And what do you entertain yourself with during the three hours that your marathons last?
-It sounds surreal, but that’s when I really apply mental work. You go through ups and downs, it is a process of personal improvement, of resilience. I think that is the magic of long distance, that it is not only a matter of physicality, but also of discipline. I send myself positive messages, I tell myself that I am going to collect the medal from the training that I have behind me. And I do mathematical calculations, I always think backwards. You have to trick your mind.
-He has completed 21 marathons in a year and a half. Only in the last month has Logroño, Chicago and Bilbao been added. And now, New York. What does the doctor tell you? How is it controlled?
-I have always done running when I was at home. I only have my father, who is a coach and is the one with whom I do all the strength stuff. I think that has helped me a lot to avoid injuries. I did have physio during the challenge of the twelve marathons, but afterward the cost was already unaffordable. And recently I see a doctor in Madrid, who is also a friend and athlete. He is very surprised, and what he usually tells me is that I have an extraordinary capacity for recovery.
-If you end up in New York you will only have Boston left to complete the big six.
-Yes, I am very happy, because I have already qualified for Boston, which is by brand, and if I finish there in April I will take my ‘Six Star Finisher’. This is a dream for every marathoner.
-Is the secret to enjoy, not have the pressure of a brand?
-I think that’s the formula. Before Bilbao they asked me what brand I wanted to do. And the answer is none. I run for perceived effort. I know how tired my body is, how I feel. When I see that I am pushing too hard, I loosen up. My challenge is to run many marathons, so I regulate myself. Rigid training plans don’t work with me. There are weeks when I can train for five days and put in two rods and others where I only train for a couple of days and very gently.
-What does running mean to you?
-Learning. Running brings pleasure, but when you have finished training. The job is to get. I don’t feel like running at five in the morning or when my kids have gone to bed. It is not a pleasant feeling, but I have that ability to look beyond, to know that later I will have a shot of endorphins, that I will feel powerful, that I have done a good job. That part of resilience, overcoming, sacrifice and perseverance makes me feel very good. And running also helps me think about myself, disconnect, and work on my self-esteem. And when you feel good about yourself you are able to transmit it to those around you. I even feel like I am a better mother to my children. They are witnessing the work behind it and that there are always rewards. So it can be exemplary.
-How do you feel when you cross the finish line after 42,195 kilometers?
-It’s something amazing. The closest memory is that of Bilbao, where at night there were even fireworks and giant flares. There is so much emotion when listening to the public address system that no matter how weak your legs are, you can even sprint. The adrenaline rush is very heavy.
-The most challenging marathon?
-This summer, in Belgium. I raced in Brussels in dry fields and it was a bit boring. Also, I thought I had gotten lost… It was a more family friendly marathon, it wasn’t very well organized. I was very lost and my head played tricks on me. But I have to say that I don’t punish my body with marathons. I finish and I can go up and down stairs, continue with my rhythm. Another thing is the 100 kilometers.
-Where she is champion of Spain…
-And the fifth best national brand in history! (7h59:30). That was completely out of my expectations. I went by chance. My father told me that I could be good at ultradistance, and when I finished the challenge of twelve marathons, I looked and saw that I was fit to go to the Spanish Championships. It was perfect, because I was also federated by my parents’ club. I had no goal, I didn’t even know if I would finish it. I thought I was going to make a fool of myself, but look… The stars aligned. It was very hard for me, but everything worked.
-But he was left without the World Cup.
-I thought that by winning the National I had a direct place, but no. I don’t know, really. The criteria are quite interpretable. They would think that I didn’t have enough level… I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t disappointed by not being able to wear the Spain kit but, at the same time, I think that things happen for a reason. Maybe it’s better this way so as not to get into that more competitive mentality that is far removed from what led me to run. It was a pressure that was beginning to take its toll on me, also emotionally. When I freed myself from that I returned to running by sensations, to my ball. And that’s what I want to continue doing.
-In Chicago, where she also ran, the women’s marathon record was shattered.
-It’s incredible. I have put on the tape the speed at which Chepngetich ran and for me it is a sprint. Imagine 42 kilometers like this… It makes me very happy because it is seen that more and more women are demonstrating their abilities. Not so long ago, women were not allowed to run a marathon because it was thought that a woman’s body would not be able to handle it, that her uterus would fall out. Seeing how they are now breaking world records in this way, and that their performance is so close to that of men, seems like something to applaud.
-How do you get along with the atomic sneakers, so fashionable?
-I have never done any study or anything, but I have been changing my shoes. I don’t have a sponsor, so I’ve tried many brands. I really like the Adidas Boston for training and the Nike Vaporfly 3 for competition. When something works for you, why change.
-Businesswoman, runner, influencer, mother of eight children… What do you think when you hear someone say that they don’t have time for anything?
-Well, I don’t have it either. I live super-stressed, I can’t cope and I get half of the things I set out to do. But time is modular. We all have our priorities. I was the first to say that I couldn’t start running because it didn’t give me life. And look at me. It’s about planning. I decided that for me it was an important part and I managed to make it possible. I don’t feel like it takes away my energy, but rather adds to it.
#Estefanía #Unzu #Verdeliss #train #treadmill #watch #play
