'Mental strength is extremely underrated'

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Training at Talise Fitness Madinat Jumeirah

Dubai-based Tom Otton on breaking his own barriers and what it takes to summit a 6,000m-high mountain for charity

Karen Ann Monsy

Published: Fri 30 Sep 2016, 12:00 AM

Last updated: Tue 24 Jan 2023, 8:55 AM

Tom Otton is not new to feats of endurance. Just last year, the 34-year-old Dubai resident ran a gruelling 250 kilometres across the Sahara desert, as part of the renowned Marathon des Sables - otherwise known as the "toughest footrace on Earth". This year, he's setting his sights even higher and training to summit a 6,476m-high mountaintop - Mera Peak in the Himalayas, to be precise - and it's all for a good cause.

The endeavour is mainly part of Tom's work in supporting the Larchfield Kids Orphanage in Tanzania, a charity set up by a fellow Dubai expat to support several disadvantaged or abandoned children in the East African country. "There's a specific problem in that area of Tanzania - Dar-es-Salaam," he explains. "A huge number of kids there are AIDS orphans, who've lost their parents and are living it rough, with only some being fostered by extended family or strangers, if they're lucky enough."

The charity's goal is to build a children's home that can house 60 children for a start and eventually go on to accommodate up to 300 kids. Already, construction for Phase 1 of the project is underway and Tom believes that though their efforts are just a "pebble in the ocean", the potential ripple effect on the community can be a real game-changer.

"Education is a huge factor in developing a country," says Tom. "The Internet is the ultimate resource, and if we can help get these kids online and teach them to leverage the power of the Internet, they'll hopefully have about the same level playing field as someone sitting in the US."

But there's still a long way to go to make the home a reality; hence, the latest endeavour to summit Mera Peak. "Almost everything is in place," says Tom, who's just awaiting final approval from the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities.

The 17-day trek will begin on October 21 and take him 1,000m above Everest base camp, where temperatures can easily dip as low as minus 20 degrees. It's going to be pretty intense, he says, his excitement almost palpable. And that's the other reason he's doing this. "I don't think anyone takes up this kind of goal without wanting to achieve something personally as well. I like to challenge myself. I've already run across the desert, so if I were to do it again, I know I'd be able to do it. With mountains though, I've never attempted them before, so that definitely puts a level of doubt back into my mind. It's because I'm not 100 per cent sure about my success that I'm excited to do this."

A fitness enthusiast, Tom's background was originally in rugby, playing for the UAE national team. An injury during the team's first international tournament in Shanghai in 2011, however, put paid to that. As part of his rehabilitation, he started running - and he hasn't stopped, moving into marathons and then ultra marathons. To date, his toughest was the Marathon des Sables event last year, where the only provisions you're given are a sun shade to sleep under and rations of water. Everything else that you need for seven days, you carry on your back. For Tom - who recalls running 92 kms over 17 hours on the fourth day as the toughest stretch - the biggest takeaway from that experience was mental strength. "Mental strength is an extremely underrated element of both training and capability," he asserts. "A lot of people think that once their body is tired, they can't go any further. But that's not true at all. It is capable of more than you think, and it's all about how you train your mind under those circumstances."

That's the kind of experience that goes on to pervade all other facets of your life too, he adds. "I've become a much stronger person mentally - and I take that attitude into the workplace, into other physical challenges, and when the going gets tough. Everybody goes through difficult times in life - and it's mental strength that gets you through all of those."

Currently, Tom is cross-training everyday, running long distances and using a piece of equipment from Technogym called the Skillmill in a special high altitude training chamber at Talise Fitness Madinat Jumeirah, in preparation for the arduous upcoming climb. "The Skillmill is like a treadmill, but also allows you to emulate going uphill for long periods of time, building core strength as well as certain muscles you need in order to drag your weight up a mountain," explains Tom. "The fact I can do this in an altitude chamber that can mimic the conditions I will experience on the mountain is second to none."

As the founder behind digital media company Create Media Group, the next question is almost inevitable: how does he juggle a busy work schedule along with his rigorous workout routine? "I wake up early!" he quips. "That's it. But to be honest, I have an amazing team too," he adds. "They've put up with me doing a few of these challenges, and picking up my work while I disappear for a few weeks at a time."

A lot of people say they have no time to work out, yet they're getting out of bed at seven in the morning, when half the population have already had a solid workout by then and are already on the way to work, points out Tom, who is hoping to inspire people to push themselves to achieve their own goals as well. "It's very easy to read about something like what I'm doing and think you could never do that. But that's no reason not to try."

You don't even have to have extreme adventure goals like him, he says. "Just because I've managed to put myself into the position where I'm able to do these things, doesn't mean that someone else's mountain or Marathon des Sables can't be a 1k run or a first-time gym membership. You don't have to go to the same lengths - but it's important to realise that being tired, unfit, obese and diabetic are all perfectly controllable factors."

As for improving mental resilience, there's only one way to do that, says Tom. "Test yourself. For some people, that could mean running a marathon and gradually increasing their distances. For others, it could mean just getting out for a run. It's all in the decision-making process. You have to continually put yourself in a tough position - it's the only way to develop yourself. And then hopefully you'll become the person you want to be."