An Edinburgh woman who has suffered with urinary incontinence for over a decade says she has "not let it hold her back" in becoming an ultra marathon runner.
Lucja Leonard, 44, first began running when she was 26, and completed her first marathon just five years later - in 2010.
Finishing her first ultra marathon just three years later in 2013, the marketing and communications worker was gaining success in her new passion - but a problem arose.
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Lucja began to experience urinary incontinence, which she said significantly impacted her running habits.
The runner, who is originally from Edinburgh, needs to go to the toilet every hour - and finds it hard to hold it in if she is not near any available facilities.
Lucja uses the bathroom around three times during an average marathon, which she states is above average for an active runner.
Now, the 44-year-old is travelling across the States, as she aims to break the stigma and taboo nature surrounding incontinence.
Her husband Dion, 48, who is an author and inspirational speaker, is also embarking on this self-love journey alongside Lucja.
She said: “I never experienced issues with my pelvic floor until I started running. I know that other women in the running community suffer from the same issue, but nobody talks about it. Sometimes there’s just no holding it in.
“I start my race and within an hour I already have to stop to pee in a bush. It’s frustrating and affects me mentally when I see other runners pass by.
“To hit a personal best during my last road marathon in Manchester, I knew I would have to wet myself at the end of the race.
“In a city marathon like the London Marathon, you would lose crucial seconds if you decide to stop. It’s well known that if you’re aiming for a personal best, women will just have to wet themselves.”
Lucja also added that she began running regularly in her mid-20s in a bid to lose some weight before her wedding. She added: "I was overweight and hated sport, but I slowly started picking up running and really started to enjoy it.”
Lucja noted that she caught the running bug after completing her first marathon in Amsterdam over a decade ago, and had set her sights on an ultra marathon.
Husband Dion then bought his wife a book of the world's toughest endurance challenges, and they jokingly began to look for the toughest gig to complete.
Lucja said: “We saw a 155-mile race in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa and the rest is history because that just got me addicted to ultra running.”
Finishing that unbelievable feat in just three years of experience, Lucja started to struggle with incontinence during her running.
Unable to hold in urine, she would be forced to stop multiple times during races to use a toilet.
"Completing an ultra marathon was an unbelievable feeling, especially having been overweight before and realising just how invincible you are. It’s a life-changing experience,” she said.
“But the incontinence was getting progressively worse and it was embarrassing.
“I can’t hold it in when I need to go so there would be leakage if I couldn’t find a bathroom.”
As ultra marathons tend to occur in more rural areas, Lucja is able to relieve herself behind a tree or in a bush - but added she runs into trouble when racing through cities.
Following her latest marathon in Manchester, Lucja revealed that she had to end up wetting herself in order to complete her personal best record. The runner continued: "Nipping behind a bush or a tree only takes 30 seconds but in the city marathons, you have to use a Portaloo and that takes up three minutes.
“I normally need to go to the toilet around three times during a normal marathon, whereas most runners either don’t go or go once.
“I couldn’t afford to waste three minutes in my race so in Manchester I did wet myself to get a personal best.
“I had black tights on and I threw some water on myself just to look like I was cooling myself down when actually I was having a wee.”
And now, Lucja is not letting her incontinence hold her back as she prepares to take on the Old Dominion 100 in Virginia this June.
She said: “I hope to break down the stigma around incontinence. Taboos around pelvic floor issues and incontinence mean many women and female athletes suffer in silence, or even stop sport altogether.”
Thanks to her active discussion about incontinence, Lucja has teamed up with Elvie, a pelvic floor trainer, to encourage more women who are dealing with incontinence to not be discouraged from taking up running.
Lucja said: “This issue is a barrier for women who want to get into ultra running. Loads of races don’t have toilets and if someone is not comfortable peeing on the trail, they will be discouraged very quickly.
“Wetting yourself as a kid is seen as embarrassing, so wetting yourself as an adult is seen as even more embarrassing.
“I also feel that there is judgment towards women who haven’t had kids but still have problems with their pelvic floor. I’m often told ‘You haven’t had babies so why would you have this problem?’
“It really affects my day-to-day life too, I’ll try not to drink too much water and when I go out I constantly have to scan for toilets and plan my exit route.”
Tania Boler, founder and president of Elvie, said: “So many women tell us they avoid exercise and even laughing in public because they’re scared of leaks. We need to continue to speak out about this issue and raise awareness of stories like Lucja’s.
“The good news is that the pelvic floor muscles are just like any other muscles in the body. They contract and relax, they can be weak or strong and they certainly can be trained.
“I created Elvie Trainer because I wanted all women to feel empowered and confident to do this so they can enjoy sports like running and day-to-day life without suffering from leaks.”
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