Sports
Fernanda Maciel's Origins: From the Mat to Running
Before setting high-altitude records, the ultrarunner was a jiu-jitsu champion, elite gymnast, and ran to avoid the bus.
Fernanda Maciel recalls how her childhood in Belo Horizonte forged her athletic discipline. Through jiu-jitsu, gymnastics, and running up steep city streets, she built the foundation for her global endurance career.
Before conquering towering peaks and collecting world endurance trophies, Fernanda Maciel built an intense, diverse athletic foundation on the steep hills of Belo Horizonte. In a conversation with Shubi Guimarães on the show XTREMMA Sports, the ultrarunner reflected on her childhood and teenage years, revealing that her competitive mindset and physical endurance began long before she ever set foot on a trail.
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A childhood between rings and mats
Fernanda's connection to sports began right at home. Born into a family with roots in Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro, she practically grew up on the mat: her grandfather was a training partner of Hélio Gracie, hanging heavy bags from trees and setting up boxing rings in family backyards. Guided by a father who was a capoeira master and taekwondo practitioner, and surrounded by cousins and siblings who were judokas and black belts, Fernanda quickly absorbed the martial arts values of respect, courage, and grit, eventually becoming a Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion.
Elite training in artistic gymnastics
At age eight, her athletic focus shifted to artistic gymnastics. By nine, Fernanda had joined the competitive team at the prestigious Minas Tênis Clube, and at ten, she traveled to Tallahassee, Florida, to hone her technique alongside American coaches. This period introduced her to a professional routine early in life, featuring four hours of daily practice along with regular guidance from a nutritionist and a sports psychologist.
Despite winning state titles and reaching national podiums, Fernanda decided to leave gymnastics around age 15. At the time, she felt she had reached her peak in the sport and chose to channel her energy back into capoeira and jiu-jitsu, disciplines that reignited her passion for competitive challenges.
Running to avoid the bus in Belo Horizonte
Interestingly, her transition into running didn't begin on tracks or in organized races, but as a daily commute at age 16. To dodge crowded public transit in Belo Horizonte and save on bus fare, Fernanda ran to and from school and capoeira practice in the Papagaio community.
Her daily commute spanned roughly four to five kilometers downhill and the same distance back up—often tackled barefoot or carrying her shoes in hand. These steep hills served as an accidental training ground for power and climbing endurance. By age 18, she was already racing 5Ks, 10Ks, and half marathons on the road, winning podium spots and awards in her age division.
A deep-rooted bond with nature
Beyond the city streets and mats, nature proved to be another defining pillar of her upbringing. Weekends spent at the family farm, nestled in the mountains, meant climbing fruit trees and running to waterfalls, fostering a deep relationship with the environment that later inspired her to study environmental law—while her brother pursued biology.
This early blend of gymnastics discipline, jiu-jitsu resilience, and outdoor freedom laid the groundwork for Fernanda Maciel to become one of the most dominant and consistent figures in international mountain running.
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