Relentless by Lisa Tamati – A True Story of Love, Grit & Refusing to Give Up

Relentless by Lisa Tamati – The True Story of a Daughter Who Refused to Let Her Mother Die

What would you do if doctors told you your mother had no hope?

In 2016, Lisa Tamati's mother Isobel suffered a catastrophic brain aneurysm and stroke. She was found unresponsive. The prognosis was devastating — severe brain damage, no quality of life expected, palliative care recommended. The medical system had written her off.

Lisa refused to accept it.

What followed was a years-long battle that pushed Lisa further than any ultramarathon ever had — and she'd run 70,000km across deserts, mountains, and some of the most extreme terrain on earth, including the notorious Badwater 135 through Death Valley.

But this race was different. There was no finish line. No medal. Just her mother's life.

Relentless is the raw, unfiltered story of what it took: assembling a team of 15 doctors and specialists when the system said stop. Fighting for off-label treatments. Researching metabolic approaches to brain recovery when conventional medicine had nothing left to offer. Sleeping on hospital floors. Battling bureaucracy. Watching her mother seize, bleed, crash — and somehow, impossibly, come back.

It's also a love story. Between a daughter and the woman who raised her. Between a family that closed ranks and fought together. Between a community in Taranaki that rallied when everything was falling apart.

Isobel survived. She came home. Against every prediction, every statistic, every well-meaning doctor who said it was time to let go.

This is not a gentle memoir. It's a war story. It's confronting, heartbreaking, and at times almost unbearable — because it's real. Every moment of it happened. And Lisa tells it exactly as it was: the terror, the grief, the rage at a system that too easily gives up on people, and the fierce, stubborn hope that refused to die.

What readers are saying:

"One of the most thrilling, heart-rending adventure stories I've ever read." – Chris McDougall, author of Born to Run

"Fiercely inspiring journey of a mother and daughter that never give up." – Dr Bill Andrews, Nobel Prize Winner

"A hero ... gritty, genuine and raw, but ultimately uplifting." – Dean Karnazes, ultramarathon legend

Who this book is for:

If you're caring for a loved one and feel alone in the fight — this book is for you. If you've ever been told there's nothing more they can do — this book is for you. If you need proof that one person's refusal to quit can change everything — this is your book.

Signed copies available — contact support@lisatamati.com for personalisation requests.

Also available: Running Hot, Running to Extremes, and Relentless (the original running memoir).

Here a short video on Lisa and Isobel's story

https://youtu.be/dPjH0HPxj5A

Hear Lisa tell Isobel's story on the Pushing the Limits podcast: https://youtu.be/z4Y-4vx3Oy8