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Tanja Schoenenborn

Extreme runner (ultra runner)

Tanja Schönenborn 
is a well-known German extreme runner (ultra runner), author and fitness trainer. Her story is often cited in the running scene as an impressive example of a total life change.

Tanja Schönenborn is a well-known German extreme runner (ultra runner), author and fitness trainer. Her story is often cited in the running scene as an impressive example of a total life change.

From ‘couch potato’ to professional runner 

Tanja Schoenenborn's journey into sport began relatively late in life. According to her own account, she was hardly active in any way until the end of 2015 and weighed around 28 to 30 kilograms more than she does today. A key experience after the 2015 Christmas holidays motivated her to take up running. Within a few years, she developed from a beginner who could barely manage three kilometres to one of the most successful German desert runners.

Sporting achievements and records 

She specialises in extreme stage races in desert regions: 

  • Just five months after starting running training, she ran her first marathon in Gelsenkirchen in May 2016. 
  • Gobi March (Mongolia): In her debut in June 2017, she came fifth among the women.
  • Atacama Crossing (Chile): In 2019, she came second in the women's classification in this 250 km race through one of the driest deserts in the world. 
  • Victory in Morocco (2019): In one of her reports, she mentions her first victory in the women's class at an ultra race in Morocco. There, she completed an extremely demanding course over scree and sand in about 15.5 hours. 
  • Namibia crossing: In 2021, she and her partner Rafael Fuchsgruber ran 1,000 kilometres through the Namib Desert in 17 days – a record performance for this route. 
  • Sao Tomé (2022): She completed a 200-kilometre run on the archipelago of São Tomé and Príncipe. 
  • Oman Desert Marathon (2025): In January 2025, she took third place in the women's classification at the Oman Desert Marathon (165 km). This underlines that she continues to compete at the highest international level in the desert.

Author and coach 

Tanja Schoenenborn uses her experience to motivate others: 

  • Books: She is the (co-)author of works such as ‘Wer die Wahl hat, liebt die Qual’ (Those who have a choice love the agony) (together with her partner Rafael Fuchsgruber) and ‘Running Girls – Laufen mit Kopf und Herz’ (Running Girls – Running with your head and heart), a guidebook specifically for female runners. 
  • Coaching: She works as a certified personal trainer and nutritionist. She also offers ‘trail camps’ where she teaches running techniques and encourages women in particular to set themselves sporting goals.

Training and physical challenges 

  • Overcoming heel spurs: Before her 1,000-kilometre project in Namibia, she suffered from painful heel spurs. In order to continue training, she shifted 80% of her workload to cycling (indoor) to avoid impact stress and still build up the necessary basic endurance. 
  • Mental strategy: In podcasts and articles, she often discusses dealing with pain and grief as a motivator (‘Running away from pain’).

Commitment to female runners

Girls' trail camps: She organises special trail running camps, for example in Saalbach Hinterglemm, which are specifically aimed at women. These camps are not only about performance, but also about running technique (e.g. use of poles) and overcoming mental barriers.