I run for the journey, not the PR (Personal Record). As a proud back-of-the-pack runner, I’ve discovered that running is about so much more than speed — it’s adventure, sanity, connection with incredible people, and hopefully a ticket to long-term health, both physical and mental. I’m here to enjoy the ride, and the conversations along the way.
These stories take you from my daily Central Park “mind laundry” sessions to 155-mile self-supported ultramarathons across some of the world’s most unforgiving terrain. The ultra entries were written each night after 26+ miles of desert running, when exhaustion met exhilaration and my thoughts flowed onto paper in ways that surprised even me. Some editing for clarity, but the raw honesty remains.
My most recent escapades ran me right into a wall called sobriety which rang its bell on November 1, 2024, 1 day after my 54th birthday. I am learning daily how to embrace my new mantra of sober minded living and in return have found that the spectrum of colors in my life has gone full tilt. My world has expanded well beyond what I thought was possible and I am excited to share and hopefully inspire others with words, ideas and connection.
Ready to step in stride? Let’s see where the miles take us.
Jump to a race world:
NYC
Central Park runs, the marathon, the city as daily training ground.
Mongolia
The Gobi March 2024. Six days, 250km, wild horses.
Lapland
Racing the Planet 2022. Above the Arctic Circle. Four stages before life called me home.
Atacama
155 miles through the Chilean desert. Written each night after 26+ miles.
Patagonia
Where it all started. Racing the Planet, 2017.
NYC
Mongolia
The Eternal Knot: A Story About Beauty, Mongolia, and Finally Seeing Yourself
Two tattoos. Two very different women. Same body. A reflection on where we place our beauty, and who we’re placing it for.
Read MoreDAY AFTER: SUNDAY and so on….Epilogue
Back in Ulaanbaatar after the Gobi March 2024. The city reveals itself differently after a week in the desert. On the epilogue, the after-race brain, and why Iris is already thinking about the next one.
Read MoreTips & Tricks: “For the WIN” and “Better for NEXT TIME”
Four Racing the Planet ultras in, and Iris Derke has a lot of hard-won advice. What worked, what didn’t, and what she’d do differently next time on the Gobi March 2024.
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Lapland
Atacama
Patagonia
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Iris Derke 