A popular TikToker, ultra runner and neurosurgical research coordinator has revealed what it takes to become a social media star.

Natalie Long, known as Nat Runs online, now has almost 100,000 followers on a video sharing app - where she films herself completing challenges across Sittingbourne and Sheppey.

Viral TikToker, Natalie Long, speaking about her videos and running career

The 29-year-old from Bapchild has completed a 100 mile race in 27 hours and 21 minuets, a marathon in three hours and 27 minuets and can smash a 5K run in 20 minutes and 50 seconds.

She said: "I'm an ultra runner and a trail runner at heart, but I like doing road races. I just love sharing loads of running content on my social medias.

"I started sharing running content in April last year when I was training for a 100 mile race, just to share my training with the nice running community.

"For the first few months it started gaining more pace on Instagram and it was only when I started doing these run until you see type videos about three months ago that my TikTok really took off."

Natalie explained that a sports company was the first commenter to ask her to partake in a run until you see video.

These videos work by Natalie's followers telling her what item to find while she is out on her run, this could be anything from a postbox, to an animal or even outlandish things like mermaids.

The Kings College worker continued: "I didn't think it would do very well because I hadn't done any videos where people asked me to find specific things.

"I didn't really understand it at first, but they sent me a brief and I saw there were two other big creators on TikTok that do these in Sweden and America.

"So I looked at their content and I thought, wow, these are actually really engaging point of view type runs."

Natalie did her first run until you see video on the island, the sports company had asked her to run until she saw a statue.

She said: "My dad said there was bound to be some statues down in Shellness because it's quite historic with the Wright brothers.

"So I started the run from my nan's house down there and when I found a statue it was a good feeling for me as well.

"I thought this is really fun and then my followers just kept giving me loads of items to find so I just carried it on."

One of Natalie's followers even asked her to run until she saw a mermaid.

Not being one to turn down a challenge she set off along the Sheerness sea wall knowing there was a mural painted of a mermaid by Tesco.

The video had over 1.5 million views and more than 206,000 likes.

Natalie has even run to until she's seen her local newspaper, the Sheerness Times Guardian.

She said: "I do feel like sometimes the universe literally finds things for me, that's so corny, but I've been out running and I knew someone had asked me to run until I saw a rabbit.

"At the time I was actually looking for a cow, but suddenly a little rabbit was laying next to the path, all well just sitting there, waiting for me to see it."

Natalie became a runner after being inspired by her mum and dad, her parents also competed in marathons and encouraged Natalie to do a variety of sports like swimming, football and running.

Natalie said: "Running has always been in the background for me, even when I swam I did a bit of running and when I played football I was always doing running training throughout the week."

In her early teens to mid teens Natalie joined the Swale combined running club and raced alongside the group.

She still runs with the club today and emphasises the importance of the kindness within the running community.

"I love the community feel of running and I think that's why TikTok and Instagram has made my passion for running grow even more.

"It's really fulfilling when people say that I've helped them or inspired them to get out.

"Because I love running so much it's even a nice feeling knowing that somebody else will find their love for it through me." She added.

Natalie's mass following has even turned her into a bit of a local celebrity.

She said: "It's a funny feeling having over 90,000 followers.

"I've been out in local parks and people have said 'are you Nat Runs?' it's quite surreal at the moment.

"I don't ever want to feel like I'm really big online, I want to keep it very laid back.

"However I do want to add value to my followers lives.

"Through Swale running club I've gotten some running courses so my goal with the social medias is to keep it fun and entertaining but also to have some free resources available for my followers."

Alongside her social media running role Natalie also works at Kings College Hospital.

She said: "I absolutely love my job. I'm sort of the middleman, data collector and patient talker recruiter for massive studies.

"I will definitely continue doing that, I want to just be able to juggle both and put effort into my full time job and my running, which I think is definitely doable."

Despite running all her life and now being a pro long distance athlete Natalie is still keen to get others into the sport.

To learn more about Natalie visit her Instagram here or her TikTok here.

She finished: "If you're unsure about running just literally go for it, it is hard, but don't be put off by your pace, time and distance when you first start running.

"My message to people is just get out and do it, find out what you like about running because there's so much to it like the mental and the psychological side of it, get out and run."