Those demons, along with the searing heat and humidity, were conquered as she claimed an impressive 11th place in the women’s 10,000 metres.
It comes a year after the Sheffield athlete suffered heartbreak in Paris, where she competed in the marathon.
In just her second-ever marathon, Haugher-Thackery failed to finish after a build-up where she discovered her mother’s diagnosis with cancer in the weeks preceding her Olympic debut.
So, as she made her bow on the World Championships stage, there was never any question of the Hallamshire Harrier failing to make it to the finish.
She said: “It was hard. But I didn’t expect anything less. It was tough but you know what? The last six days I’ve been surprised with how fine the heat is out there. It wasn’t too bad, it did get hard at the end, but I just had to mentally take myself somewhere else and get through it. I’m pretty damn happy with that.
“I was saying to myself ‘Calli, you are made of tough stuff, you’ve just got to get through it’. I was counting down every lap almost. And when the last five laps came I thought ‘okay, you’ve gotta just grit your teeth and get through this’.
“I’ve had to fight a lot of demons, so to get this far and I’m 11th in the world in the 10,000. I’m always so hard on myself, but I’ve got like feel proud of that.”
Having qualified for both the 10,000 metres and the marathon, Haugher-Thackery made the decision to go in the former, with her next marathon set to be in Chicago next month.
That decision appears to have been vindicated as she came close to a top 10 finish, coming home in 31:37.81, four seconds and one place behind compatriot Megan Keith.
The race was won by reigning Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet, to huge cheers from the Tokyo crowd.
And while she could not match the remarkable pace of the Kenyan on the final lap, Haugher-Thackery showed speed of her own to reel in a number of athletes in the closing stages.
She said: “I think so soon after Paris, it would have been really even more hard mentally, getting through a marathon. Not that far removed from Paris. I think I made the right decision to do the 10 this time. I can’t do the track forever, I can’t do the marathon forever either, but it’s nice to still dabble in the track while I still can.
“I was thinking ‘Calli, you are not DNFing, you’ve got to get through this’. It was really, really hard. I was having all sorts of weird pains, and I thought it’s just a few more laps. You have to bargain with yourself and pick people off.
“My husband/coach (Nick Haugher) was telling me that people will struggle in the last few laps, so just pick people off. I had to bet on that, and I think I did pass a few people.
“I was watching (the front of the race) on the TV, I couldn’t help myself. I was in awe at how fast they were moving. It’s incredible. I was giving it everything at the end, but they are another level. I didn’t want them to lap me, that was my goal, and I achieved that at least!”
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