Ioana Barbu

In this hugely inspiring episode of RunPod, Jenni is joined by the most incredible runner — Ioana Barbu. From carving up snowboarding slopes to conquering some of the world’s toughest ultra races Ioana’s journey is nothing short of extraordinary.

She started out on the snow, but a wise mentor once told her, “no experience is ever wasted.” which led her to trail running — and eventually, to some of the most extreme endurance events on Earth organised by Beyond The Ultimate.

At 35, she has just completed The Arctic Race which she won — 1st in the woman’s category, and 2nd overall - beating some 6ft men!

In this episode, Ioana shares her love for the charity ‘Globals Make Some Noise’, as well as the importance of training smart, surrounding yourself with good people, and learning from those who’ve already succeeded — because, as we all know “success leaves clues.” 

She opens up about what it means to be a woman in the endurance space, what she’s learned from the ultras, and why this is the fittest she’s ever been in her life.

When she’s not running through jungles or on the ice Ioana works as a Senior Post Production Engineer at Global— she’s Jenni’s colleague! and yes, she uses every bit of her holiday to chase these epic dreams!

Press play and prepare to be inspired by the unstoppable force that is Ioana Barbu. 🏃‍♀️💪

If this episode lights a fire in you, don’t miss the Kris King episode from the Beyond the Ultimate series.