“I was fine in Corrientes and I needed a change and I wanted to try a different life, place, culture and language. I quit my job, left my comfort zone and left,” Mercedes recalled in a dialogue with Radio Dos.
“The first few months were tough, walking around and presenting résumés,” he revealed. “Fortunately, the first CV I submitted was in a cafeteria, and that’s where I currently work.” “Emigrating is very romanticized, it’s not easy,” he remarked
Marcedes is a runner and his story has been covered in national media
Mercedes Silva Alemán from Corrientes is a runner like the common people who went from a runner who never ran more than a kilometer to an ultra marathon runner. After moving to Australia he made his debut in the premier marathon on the Goald Coast.
Gradually he began combining jogging with walking until he progressed to running five kilometers and then pushed to longer distances. “I admired those who ran 21 kilometers,” he recalls.
Over time, he increased his training volume and eventually ran mountain ultramarathons, but also competed in a road marathon.
beginnings and learning
Growing up in Paso de la Patria, she accompanied a friend to training in 2016 and little by little her spirits got higher. He went from corner to corner, jogging, walking, scattering his movements until one day he was encouraged to go one step further and run three miles.
“I still remember the day I did my first 10 kilometers. I felt the satisfaction of being able to do something that seemed difficult to me. Every time I went out, I felt more confident and it became a constant activity.” “And I knew I wanted to set aside an hour a day for that moment, which was becoming a special moment,” he recalls a smile.
The Corrientes waterfront was his place to run, and little by little he was encouraged to ‘discover something else’. It was an incentive to encounter more runners. They all agreed and encouraged each other until one day she was invited to a trail running competition and her life changed completely.
The leap to ultra distance
Little by little he increased the scope of his training and learned more about trail running. He competed in 25km and 15km races in Jujuy and Salta until he decided to compete in an ultra test.
So she contacted the experienced Daniel Simbrón, who began to guide her remotely. So the training circuit started with running the first 42km at the Patagonia Run, then 50km Bariloche100, 70km at Utacch to complete the list with her first 100km at Yaboty and to emerge as the first lady overall.
Like all trail running lovers, Mercedes has an adventurous side. And after thinking about it, he made the decision to travel and visit other destinations. “I sold what little I had and decided to go to Australia, knowing I was starting from scratch,” he says.
The trip to Australia and the change of life
He is currently a barista in a coffee shop and works between 6 and 8 hours. In the end he learns English four more times. So his only free time is in the morning, very early. He gets up before 6 a.m. and in addition to running, he also does 18 kilometers of cycling.
There was a challenge that had never existed before: to run a 42 km run. So he signed up for the prestigious Gold Coast Marathon.
His training changed, he paid more attention to race times and left his comfort zone. Again, being his first marathon, the message he conveyed was key to the fun: “I said to myself ‘enjoy,’ and I did.”
