How the right mindset will make long-distance runner Darby Maguire a champion

Growing up, Darby Maguire never had ambitions to run ultramarathons. He was athletic and enjoyed football and surfing, but was happy to leave things there.

But then, the young Australian went running with a friend. It was only supposed to be a short offroad jaunt close to his home in east Sydney but they got lost and ended up covering miles before they found their way back.

Taking that wrong turn would prove the best thing that could have happened, as, just two years later, he is tipped to become a future ultra-running champion.

In April 2024, and without any formal training, Darby completed seven half marathons in seven days.

And that was just the beginning. At the start of January, Darby completed an astonishing 560-mile solo ultramarathon from Coolangatta, Queensland, to Cronulla in Sydney, New South Wales.

Despite his lack of experience, no professional crew and minimal equipment, he ran 37 miles a day for 15 days in the scorching Australian summer, where temperatures often soared above 40°C.

In the process, the 21-year-old became Australia’s youngest-known multi-day ultramarathon runner and raised more than $40,000 AUD (£20,000) for youth mental health charity Find Ya Feet – a cause close to the trainee teacher’s heart.

“I was never really a runner,” he says. “I played a bit of footy, but nothing serious. Then, one summer, a mate convinced me to join him for a trail run.

“We got lost and ended up running for hours. I was exhausted, but I felt this weird sense of accomplishment, like I'd tapped into something I didn't know I had in me.

“After that, I was hooked, but I’m no different to anyone else. I leave the running science to the freaks obsessed with it.”

Darby’s punishing feat of endurance, all the more remarkable because he doesn’t follow the micro-planned training regimens of most top athletes, has made him something of a media celebrity in Australia.

There’s even talk of him taking on global events like the Comrades Marathon in South Africa and even the Spartathlon in Greece – famed as the world’s toughest ultramarathon, with competitors having to cover 153 miles in just 36 hours.

And despite his unlikely beginnings in the ultra-competitive world of long-distance running, I believe he has the potential to go all the way.

Because his 560-mile run has taught him the one thing that can take anyone far: the winner’s mindset.

Like you, I’d not heard of Darby and only learned of his Coolangatta to Cronulla run while staying with my daughter, Lucy. She knew Darby’s mother, who told her that he was struggling both physically and mentally.

His self-belief and self-determination had spurred him to take on the run but the long days, relentless heat and injuries - suspected stress fractures, shin splints, and severe blisters – were taking their toll.

Lucy quickly arranged for local runners to support Darby and secured a last-minute physiotherapy session. Sensing that he was running on fumes and would need more than massaged muscles to carry on, I agreed to meet him afterwards.

Late in the evening, and with Darby facing a 5am start the next day, an in-depth coaching session was out of the question. I had to act fast and asked him one simple question: “Are you creative?”

“I was in a very negative space. I just wanted to stop,” says Darby. “I had no pinky toenails or anything … it was pretty bad.

“But that question hit me like a thunderbolt. I realised I was trying to push through like an athlete. But I wasn’t an athlete – I had to get through it creatively. Not to win or be the fastest, but to do it my way.

Instead of fighting the pain, he discovered that he could reframe it as part of the journey, finding strength in his vulnerability.

He continues: “I started to feel pain, but I could also feel every fibre that wasn’t sore, and it felt like I was using those to get through.

“People think that I’m a fighter. I think I’m much more like a monk. It's a lot more meditative and spiritual.”

Darby could have given up, but he pushed through thanks to his new mindset and the continued support of his personal network, including his partner Aimee, his mother, Joanne, and her partner Terry Whittaker.

His schedule is already packed with ultramarathon challenges through to 2026 and Darby is also making a name for himself as an inspirational speaker, helping to motivate others through his achievements.

While we might not literally want to follow in his footsteps, his ability to turn suffering into strength offers a valuable lesson to us all: success comes from turning obstacles into opportunities and embracing challenges rather than fearing them.

Dr Stephen Simpson is an internationally recognised mind coach, speaker, and author. With a background in elite performance coaching, mental health, and hypnosis, he has worked with top athletes on the PGA European Golf and World Poker Tours.

He has served as Regional Medical Director for Chevron and contributed to global health initiatives with leaders like Bill Clinton and Bill Gates. His latest book,The Psychoic Revolution, explores innovative methods for peak performance.

Story by Dr Stephen Simpson, edited by Anthony Harvison (Belters News/NewsX)

Main image: Courtesy, Darby Maguire