Sandi Menchi Abahan is amazing. She summited Mount Everest and Mount Kilimanjaro. She’s completed over 24 ultra marathons, more than 50 marathons, and 8 skyraces.
In 2028, she’s hoping to represent the Philippines in Modern Pentathlon at the Olympics. Just recently, she was crowned the first Asian medalist at the Spartan World Championship.
Besides her pure athletic talent and humble character, there’s something else that sets Sandi apart from her fellow competitors. She has the ability to endure. She can suffer more than most and keep going. She says this skill is a learned one, and it came about as the result of a realization she had during her first 100km race.
“Aside from being able to endure pain, I can talk with my brain,” she says. “I learned how much of a mental game ultra marathons are. Since then, I’ve slowly learned how to manipulate my mind.”
