Growing up in Fiji, Pushpa Chandra was one of several kids who opted to walk to and from school instead of taking public transportation. The money she saved on bus fare was money she could spend on treats, something her parents couldn’t afford to buy her family of 13. One day, instead of strolling the eight kilometres to school, Chandra began running. And kind of like Forrest Gump, she’s had an irresistible urge to run ever since.

Chandra continued with the sport informally when she moved to Canada at age 16, leading the pack in school phys. ed. classes. When her three kids were little, she and her family would do local five- and 10-kilometre races together. Then Chandra started doing longer races: half and full marathons. Again, she found herself among the top finishers. Dozens of marathons later, she started to get bored, so in 2000 she did the Subaru Ironman Canada race. Just over 13 hours and 226 kilometres later, Chandra felt more exhilarated than ever.

“It was another level of achievement in my mind and body,” Chandra says in a phone interview. “After doing that, I really felt that you can accomplish anything you want to if you put your mind to it. It was a big turnaround for me.”

Her race-induced elation gave her the push she needed to pursue her dream of becoming a naturopathic doctor. In 2004, she graduated and went on to open the Point Grey Naturopathic Clinic, where she specializes in pediatrics and sports medicine. Since then, she’s run many more races. Her next big event? The North Pole Marathon—also known as the “world’s coolest marathon”—on April 7.

“I like to be challenged,” says Chandra, 52. “When it comes to goal-setting, you need something motivating and challenging. You can’t always be in your comfort zone. You need to push yourself through that.”

Clearly, running for several hours on top of the frozen Arctic Ocean in subzero temperatures isn’t everyone’s idea of a realistic goal—or a good time. But Chandra says that no matter the distance, running involves a mental commitment as much as a physical one.

“You have to start somewhere,” she says. “Running is 99-percent mind games.”¦Your mind is our ruler, the highest level of our functioning. It’s true that if there’s a will, there’s a way. It’s empowering. And running is a passion.”

The sport is certainly addictive for Jillian Fong, a Vancouver mother of three.

“When you’re a runner, you just can’t stop, even if you have aches and pains,” says Fong, who recently completed the Dirty Duo, a 25-kilometre trail run on the North Shore. “My favourite time of day is to get up at 6 a.m., have a coffee, and hit the road by 6:30. It’s just part of my life. It’s hard work, but it’s an amazing feeling.”

Part of the reason she got into running in the first place was its social aspect. The Scotland native, who moved to Vancouver in the late ’80s, didn’t know a soul when she came here. She joined a running club to meet new people; she ended up marrying one of them and has stayed close with many others.

Heading out for a run with a friend is all part of the routine for Liz Jones, a financial analyst with the City of Vancouver. She started running in her teens, and these days the married mother of one heads out the door around 6 a.m. five or six days a week to run in Stanley Park.

“It’s so much easier when you’ve got somebody to go with; you can’t just roll over in bed,” Jones tells the Straight. “Half the time, you don’t even really feel like going, especially given the weather where we live, but once you’re out there, it feels so good. It feels good to get outside and to be moving. It’s good for my mood.”¦When I’m with someone, we just talk and talk; before you know it 50, 70, or 80 minutes have gone by.”

The sport is also convenient. “It’s a great way to get outside and get some exercise. It’s so easy,” Jones explains. “You just need a pair of shoes and that’s it. You don’t need to wait for a pool to open. It’s inexpensive.”

Jones’s dedication is all the more impressive given the fact that she’s had running-related injuries, including three stress fractures in her feet and plantar fasciitis.

Chandra says that currently her office is getting lots of calls from people who are injured. With the BMO Vancouver Marathon coming up on May 3, many runners are at the peak of their training and are overdoing it.

“At least 90 percent of injuries are overuse injuries,” Chandra says, noting that patellofemoral-joint injuries are the most common. “People are doing too much, too soon, too fast, beginners and veterans.”¦I’ve been there. A serious injury can take a whole season out of you.”

Chandra recommends getting footwear at a store that specializes in running shoes, noting that they need to be replaced every 800 kilometres maximum.

She treats injuries with acupuncture, prolotherapy (which involves injecting natural substances into the joints to help them regenerate cartilage), and biopuncture (in which botanical medicine is injected into acupuncture points). She also relies on food as medicine, and urges runners to cross-train so that they strengthen other muscles.

“You can’t play catch-up,” she adds. “If you didn’t train for two days, don’t overdo it on Day 3.”¦Alternate a hard day with an easy day or a day of rest.”

Follow her advice, and maybe one day you can run across the frozen Arctic Ocean too.