A Real-Life Wonder Woman Built on Grit

What a 152-mile ultramarathon taught me about grit,

focus, and leading under pressure.

"How long did it take you?" I asked, sure I'd misheard. "Twenty-eight hours," Sue replied.

Sue Edwards is Chief Compliance Officer at Ultimate Medical Academy in Tampa Bay and a past member of the Key Women's Leadership Forum I founded. She's also a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma survivor who lived through a skydiving accident that left her with multiple broken bones and surgeries. A few years ago, Sue set her sights on a new dream: a 150-mile race.

She trained at 3:30 a.m. most mornings, worked full days at UMA, and prepared with a world-class coach. Last week, she ran the race in 39 hours, 43 minutes, and 51 seconds — finishing first overall, the only woman in the field, and setting the all-time female record with the second-fastest time ever recorded. She stayed awake for 46 hours straight.

When I congratulated her, I asked what carried her through. Her answers apply far beyond running:

Visualize the outcome, not just the finish line. "I visualized each 25-mile segment ahead of the race, seeing myself feeling good and completing it," Sue said. By race day, each stretch felt familiar — she'd already run it in her mind.

Meet fear with a mantra. Alligators, coyotes, and mental fatigue tested her all night. Her fix: "Head down, stay focused, stay focused," alternating with "Through grit and grace, I'll get this done."

Consistency beats heroics. The race stretched to 152.25 miles across 21 loops. Sue paced each loop to a set time and stuck to it — no surges, no slumps.

Set clear expectations for your team. Her four-person crew had five minutes per stop to have her food ready. "If they weren't prepared, I'd run past them — it was their job to catch up to me." Those tight pit stops shaved 9 minutes and 38 seconds off the old record.

Whatever race you're running — literal or otherwise — Sue's approach holds: picture the outcome and how it will feel, arm yourself with a mantra for the hard miles, build consistent habits, and set clear expectations with the people supporting you.

What's the mantra that gets you through your hardest miles?

Mary

Mary Key, Ph.D., is an executive coach, leadership advisor, and co-author of an upcoming book on healing, recovery, and the human experience of care — Opened Heart: Healing Beyond Cure. She works with leaders in healthcare, technology, manufacturing, and other industries to strengthen connection, trust, and organizational culture.