From the September issue of Runner’s World

When Belinda Zimmerli heads to Switzerland to run the Jungfrau Marathon on 11 September she knows her demons won’t be joining her.
It’s been six years since Belinda narrowly escaped losing her life to anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder, resulting in severe weight loss.
“Fighting anorexia is like running a marathon,” Belinda tells RW. “You have to save your energy for the final run home. The only difference is in a marathon there’s an end in sight, 42.2 kilometres. With anorexia, there’s no telling when the battle will be over.”
It took Belinda five years to beat anorexia nervosa – the most common disease among females aged 15 to 24 after obesity and asthma. And her key: running.

The descent
At the age of 13, before Christmas in 2003, Belinda started eating less. “I started eliminating foods and counting kilojoules,” she says. “I thought if I lost a couple of kilos before Christmas. I could eat more on Christmas Day.”
That was only the beginning. For the next six months Belinda took her eating habits to the extreme – once taking 80 minutes to eat an apple after slicing it into 40 pieces.
As her weight dropped below 35 kilos, Belinda’s body tried to protect itself – growing a fine layer of hair over her face in an attempt to keep her warm during the freezing European winter.
Belinda’s parents tried to reason with her, to make her see sense that her eating disorder was dangerously unhealthy, until finally in June 2004 Belinda’s doctor admitted her to hospital.
“I suddenly saw all these children around me who were sick, but not due to any fault of their own,” recalls Belinda of her first days in hospital. “They had cancer and other incurable diseases. That’s when I realised I had to summon all my energy to get better.”
Louise remembers the moment when Belinda’s life began turning around. “She told me: ‘Mum, I will walk out of here’.

Recovery
Belinda was kept in hospital for three months and slowly gained weight over the next year to become a much healthier 52 kilos. It was at this point that she decided to manage her health by keeping fit.
Starting out with a 15 minute jog every few days, Belinda was amazed at how liberated running made her feel. “I think the fluidity of running helped with the fluidity of how I thought things over and talked about things,” she says.
Running also helped change Belinda’s outlook on food. “I started viewing food as a source of energy, as fuel for my body.” Seeing the value in foods she had once shunned, Belinda took pleasure in eating the good fats in avocado, nuts and a drizzle of olive oil on a salad or toast.
Belinda now clocks about 60 kilometres a week on foot and almost the same distance on the bike.
After Switzerland Belinda dreams of running Comrades – a 90 kilometre ultra in South Africa. “Running has taught me to embrace life and run with it,” Belinda concludes – a motto she has tattooed on the inside of her left arm, close to her heart.

For information about eating disorders visit thebutterflyfoundation.org.au or eatingdisorders.org.nz.