Ioana Barbu – Ultra Runner - Winning the Ice & Highland Ultra and Tackling the Beyond the Ultimate Series in One Year.
- xtinecruzat
- Aug 4
- 4 min read
In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, meet Ioana Barbu—an unstoppable ultra runner with big goals, bold energy, and a fierce belief in betting on herself.
After winning the Ice Ultra (230km at the Arctic Circle) and the Highland Ultra (125km in the Scottish Highlands) in 2025—each by hours and against stacked fields—Ioana is now going all-in to complete the entire Beyond the Ultimate series in one calendar year. That means racing across jungles, deserts, mountains, and ice—self-funded, self-motivated, and 100% committed.
We dive into her mindset, training strategy, and what it takes to juggle full-time work while prepping for some of the toughest foot races on Earth. From selling her flat to afford the journey, to building her endurance and community from scratch, Ioana’s story is raw, real, and massively inspiring.
⚠️ Explicit language: This episode contains one F-bomb.
If you’re chasing big goals or need a fire lit under you—this is the one to listen to.
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Show notes
Who is Ioana
Based in London
Working in post production of video production
Being an ultra runner
Growing up in Europe
Moving to the UK at 18
Living in New Zealand and Canada
Being into Snowboarding
Getting into running
Her younger years
Growing up with her grandparents in the countryside
Getting into swimming, ballet
Starting snowboarding in her early 20s and how it changed her life
Wanting to get good at the sport
Book: Power Speed Endurance : A Skill-Based Approach to Endurance Training. By Brian Mackenzie
Breathe work, breathing, posture
Running on a treadmill for training
Training with Altitude Centre in London, in an altitude chamber
Living in Wellington, New Zealand
Working with a snowboarding coach
Don’t think about it too much or you will catch fear
Always end on a high
Moving back to the UK and fast forward a few years
Getting back into running during lockdown in 2020
Starting to sign up for races
How her running journey progressed
Running the London Marathon for charity
Giving a voice to small charities
Working with Spencer Matthews on his Big Fish Podcast
Deciding to sign up for the - Beyond the Ultimate Jungle ultra - 230km
Being surrounded by people who encourage you and support you
Being told she couldn’t do a 30 miler
I’ll prove you wrong
Is it a race or is it an event?
Emma Kirk-Odunubi - Running Coach
Having a lovely time running the marathon
Adam Kimble - Running Coach
Never quit at the end of the day
Doing the right volume of training (6 days a week) but doing the wrong type of training
Averaging about 30k - 50k a week max - which wasn’t enough
Running 70k - 100k weeks
More running and less hyrox/strength training
Palate fatigue
Needing to be her own hero
Winning Races
Arctic Race - 230km race
Going out to race and win
Getting her period in the jungle and ending up doing the short course
Wanting to make ultra running a full time job
Going into the ice-ultra with such a strong mindset
Knowing what to expect with snow and ice
2025 - Racing the full series in one year (calendar year)
Self funding the challenge
Harry Edmonds - youngest racer to compete the extreme sport series
How much will it cost?!
Selling her flat and using the money to pay for the race series
Needing to buy specialist kit
Approx £30k so far…
Wanting to quit her job and do this full time
Dr Freya Bayne - London Southbank Uni Sports Department
Heat acclimatisation in a heat chamber and why it was one of the best things to do before the desert race
All female researchers
How can people connect and follow along
Final words of advice
Find people who are like minded, don’t be afraid to join a community
Inspiring other women to start running
Social Media
Instagram @ioanabarboux
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