Q&A with Elite Ultrarunner Magdalena Lewy-Boulet

Professional runner Magda Boulet running on a trail

Boulet on setting a 5K PR at 38, the love of marathoning, and the life lessons ultrarunning provides


Elite ultrarunner Magdalena Lewy-Boulet, 44, of Oakland, Cali., grew up a swimmer in Poland. And despite her athletic pursuits in the pool, it wasn’t until she started running that she found her stride as a competitive athlete. And even then, it took her awhile to get there. You could even call her a late bloomer (after all, it wasn’t until she was 38 that she finally broke 16 minutes in the 5K). She's also made a US Olympic Marathon team and won the prestigious Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run.

Whether it’s the breadth of her athletic talent, her sheer determination to run boldly and take risks, her adventurous approach to life, or her intense love for her family, one thing is clear: Magdalena Lewy-Boulet is one incredible, fierce woman.

Read our interview below to learn more.


You ran well in college, but you struggled to break the 16-minute barrier after you graduated. So, you switched to endurance training and the marathon. It wasn’t until 2010, after making a US Olympic Marathon team in 2008 (you ran a 2:30:19 to land the slot), that you returned to the track for the 5000. You were 38, had little to no 5K training under your belt, and you set a blistering PR. What happened?

Running that sub 16-minute 5K was one of my favorite moments in Track and Field. It showed me that I was strong after so many years, that sometimes it takes putting in 10 years of hard work in the longer distances to run faster in the shorter distances.

I still remember the race. It was a Diamond League meet in Stockholm. I looked at the list of entries; most of the women had PRs under 15 minutes. And then there I was, with a 16:04. I was intimidated, but I also saw it as a huge opportunity to get pulled along for a lifetime best.
I remember walking into the stadium, and the crowd’s energy was infectious. … Little did I know that Usain Bolt was racing after me, so they were probably there for him. But still. It set the stage for an incredible race. Plus, Shalane Flanagan was in my heat and was gunning for the American Record. Then there were a few women trying to run in the 14:20s. And Jenny Simpson and Lauren Fleshman were also there.

I remember crossing the line of the first 400 meters. I was close to mile PR pace, and I thought Wow, this is going to be crazy bad, or something special is going to happen today. So, I just forgot about pacing. I decided that I was already so far out of my reality that I would just focus on chasing people and try to pass as many people as I could at the end. When I finished and looked at the clock, I’d run a 15:14, a new PR by nearly a minute.

Then you more or less walked away from the 5K after that. Why?

My heart was in the marathon. And 15:14 was such a huge accomplishment for me already. And, at the time, we also had American women who were breaking 15 minutes, and I didn’t feel like I was going to break that. I was still chasing marathon times and so the idea of dedicating a full season to the 5K seemed impossible.

Why do you think you were so heart-set on the marathon?

I thrive on the strength side of running. And I’ve always said that the reason why I ran the marathon for so long was that it was the longest event I could do at the Olympic level. If the opportunity were to arise for me to run a 100 miler at the Olympics, I would go for it. Because even more than the marathon, a 100 miler is an incredible combination of strength and endurance.


Professional runner Magda Boulet finishing a race
Professional runner Magda Boulet running on a trail
Professional runner Magda Boulet poses for a photo

You work for GU, a brand you started working with right out of college. How do you think your role there has influenced your decision to run longer races (the marathon included)?

I was young, just out of college, and always seeing the athletes that GU Energy worked with and supported. And that certainly inspired me to sign up and run my first marathon. I never thought it was possible for me to run that far, but then, being surrounded by all of those incredible people, I realized I could, and I started to believe that barriers are meant to be broken and that the limits in your own head can be broken, too. And that outlook has a lot to do with the company’s philosophy, too.

I still do often think about how long would it have taken me to run a marathon if GU was not in my life at that time because I was very determined to be a pro 5K runner. I really wanted to be a pro 5K runner. And I worked hard for two years but hit plateau after plateau. I could never break 16 minutes. It was frustrating, and I felt like I was ready to try something new. The more I learned from GU about training and nutrition strategies, the more I became interested in longer distance. Plus, long runs were always my favorite part of training. So, it all just came together. I hadn’t even run a 10K when I ran my first marathon.

What drives you now to run such long distances?

I’m very driven by challenging both my mind and my body. And learning to push through ordinary suffering and see where my physical and mental limits are. In the end, a lot of these lessons I learn through running cross over to everyday life for me. For example, in an ultramarathon, you learn to be patient by pacing yourself well. You also have to be relentlessly positive because there’s always something that will go wrong. And that’s life, too.

Of course, I think you can learn all that in the marathon, the 10K, and even the 5K if you want to. It’s part of committing yourself to prepare for a big challenge. And it’s during that preparation that you learn the lessons. Not just in the race. The race is where you execute what you learn. And you learn not to give up.

Taking risks is a huge part of being a successful athlete. You’ve taken big major risks in your career, whether it’s going all in to make a US Olympic team, testing yourself against the world stage, or switching to ultramarathons. How do you decide which risks to take and why?

I’m a big fan of trying new things and putting yourself in a zone where things are uncomfortable. Becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable is an opportunity to learn a lot about yourself. And, for me, no matter what happens in the end, despite not reaching all my goals, the process of putting myself out there and committing to something bigger than myself is a risk that, no matter the outcome, makes me so much stronger on the other side than if I hadn’t done it at all. And so, in that way, it’s not always about the goal, but it’s about the process. And the process is very empowering. Taking risks and recognizing the potential for failure is crucial to self-growth.

So, you had success in the marathon, then the 5K, and then you switched to ultras. What prompted you to make that leap?

I ran my first ultra in 2013, just a few years after my best 5K, 10K, and marathon races. I didn’t make the 2012 Olympic Marathon Team, I was turning 40, and so, I decided I wanted to do something different. I came up with a challenge for myself. I decided to first run the US One-Mile Road Championships and then follow it up with a 50-miler a few months later. It was an exciting challenge because both races were so different, which meant it brought a lot of excitement to my training.

That mike was my first Master's championship. Then, I ran the TNF 50-Mile Championship in San Francisco. I came in second. I was intimidated by the distance, but the training hooked me. I had never run on trails so much. In fact, before training for that first ultra, I had no idea how many trails were available to run on. I learned so much through the training and the race. It was the first time I ever walked in a race, too. … That was an eye opener! With my personality, I see all of it as an opportunity to get better and learn.

Some people argue that ultrarunning isn’t even the same sport as running, that it’s something entirely different. What do you say to that?

Sure, there’s a difference, because in ultrarunning it’s not always about setting a record, or running a PR because there are so many variables and so many different types of races. But that is also what is so beautiful about the sport. It draws on strength (both physical and mental) for a very long time. It presents opportunities to break your barriers. And for that, you always walk away a lot stronger.

How do you maintain a work-life-running balance, especially since you run at such an elite level?

It’s full team support. I’m lucky that I work for a company that embraces my and my coworkers participation in endurance events. It’s OK for me to take a shower and be in my running clothes for the first hour of the work day. They understand that during lunch I jump out and train. But other people at work train, too. It’s part of the culture, and so that makes it a lot easier for me to go after my goals. I’m always feeling inspired by my coworkers.

More than that, though, my family’s support is incredible. And they’re part of the journey. Ultrarunning can’t be just my thing, they have to buy into it and embrace it as much as me. So, we try to make running a family affair. For races, we travel to places I want to show my son and husband. We use ultrarunning as an opportunity to learn and travel the world as a family.

One piece of advice you’d offer other women to go after their goals?

You know, I’ve had a lot of setbacks in the last couple of decades of running. But I always remind myself that the human body is amazing at adapting to the training that we put it through. We can all get better no matter our level. And the key is consistency, which is really, really simple. If you can embrace what running can do for you, it can be a lot of fun, and you can always get better.

Alright, last question. We have to know: what’s your favorite flavor of GU?

Sea Salt Chocolate Roctane on cold days only. When it’s hot, I love the Lemonade Roctane. And, the new flavor Birthday Cake turned out so great. There was so much development that went into that flavor. It’s a wonderful celebration of all of the memories of the last 25 years.


Want to read more inspiring stories about strong female runners? Check out our interview with Olympic Steeplechaser Emma Coburn (here) and elite runner and cancer fighter Gabe Grunewald (here).