54: Milly Clark – “There’s More to Me Than a 2:26 Marathon”

Content warning: This episode includes in-depth discussion about eating disorders, which may be distressing for some listeners. -- Running has helped Australian Olympian Milly Clark endure and conquer some of her life’s biggest challenges. Running helped her make new friends when she and her family moved to Germany and Indonesia during her school years. And most importantly, it helped Milly recover from a devastating eating disorder, which she developed while she was at college in the United States. In this conversation with Elise, Milly shares some of the highs, lows and experiences that have shaped who she is as a person today. We talk about her incredible performance at the Rio Olympics in 2016 where she was 18th across the line in 2:30:53 and her PB of 2:26:59 at the Nike Melbourne Marathon. She speaks about getting bitten by a snake in the US (despite living in Tasmania which is home to some the world’s deadliest snakes), and why her debut marathon in Amsterdam was so memorable (2:29:07, 3rd place). We also cover some darker times when Milly was in the grips of loneliness, sadness and an eating disorder, which she was able to overcome with much love and support from her family and inner circle. Now fresh off the back of a 1:12:37 at Launceston Half Marathon, Milly tells us about her plans for this year, which includes lining up for Gold Coast Marathon in a week’s time! We can’t wait to see how she goes! -- Milly Clark is one of Australia's most accomplished marathon runners and represented Australia in the marathon at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where she was the first Australian woman across the finish line. Since making her marathon debut in Amsterdam in 2015, Milly has become a consistent force on the Australian distance running scene, winning the 2021 Nike Melbourne Marathon in a personal best of 2:26:59 and earning multiple national team selections. Milly is a qualified sports dietician and currently works as a school teacher in Tasmania, Australia. -- Resources and support: If this episode raises concerns for you, support is available. - Contact the Butterfly National Helpline on 1800 33 4673 or visit org.au - Visit the InsideOut Institute at org.au or the National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC) at nedc.com.au for information and support. - If you're in immediate danger or need urgent help, call 000 or Lifeline on 13 11 14. -- Subscribe to Run With It wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss a thing! -- Follow us on Instagram: @millyjane14 @runwithit.pod @elisebeacom -- Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom Graphic design by Kate Scheer