Running News Daily

Chen Huang of China and Denmark's Kristina Madsen both claim fourth wins in race five of World Marathon Challenge

Chen Huang of China and Denmark's Kristina Madsen continued their domination of the World Marathon Challenge in Madrid, Spain on Tuesday (February 11) with their fourth victories out of the five marathons held so far.

"Well, I ran the course last year, I did a 3:12 last year, my personal best last year, so I knew what was coming. Embraced all the hills, I like the uphills and I like the downhills, so it's just a perfect course for me, perfect." Says Madsen.

The athletes are attempting to run seven marathons in seven days which began last week in Cape Town (Africa), followed by Novo (Antarctica), Perth (Australia), Dubai (Asia), Madrid (Europe), Fortaleza (South America) and Miami (North America).

In Madrid, Chen completed the marathon held on the Jarama motor racing track in a time of three hours, 14 minutes, 32 seconds, finishing almost four minutes ahead of Frenchman Olivier Thiriet.

Madsen won the women's race in 3:18:25, crossing the finish line alongside Thiriet and almost five minutes clear of American Jessica Jones in second place.

Chen's only finish off the winner's podium was in Antarctica where he was fourth, while Madsen's only defeat so far was when she took second place behind Jones in Perth.

Immediately after the race, the athletes travelled to Fortaleza in Brazil for race six on Wednesday (February 12) with the concluding race in Miami in the early hours of Thursday (February 13).

(02/12/2020) Views: 1,383 ⚡AMP

Ultrarunner Kristina Madsen of Denmark wins Antarctica Marathon overall at World Marathon Challenge

Race director Richard Donovan had to do some last-minute scrambling to reschedule travel and race times at the 2020 World Marathon Challenge when weather conditions prevented the group from flying to Antarctica on Thursday as scheduled.

Time waits for no man or woman when you have only seven days to run seven marathons on seven continents, so instead, the challenge kicked off in Capetown, South Africa, where elite ultrarunner Kristina Madsen of Denmark was the first female to cross the finish line. On Day 2 of the challenge, in extremely cold, windy conditions, Madsen won the Antarctica marathon outright in 3:54:20.

Madsen, 34, is a veteran of both WMC (she was second female last year) and many ultras and Danish national teams.

The third marathon is underway in Perth, Australia today, having started at 11:30 p.m. local time.

That wasn’t the only last-minute change to this year’s challenge. There were originally 42 competitors from 15 countries participating (25 men and 15 women), and one Canadian, Elaine Du.

But travel restrictions due to the coronavirus meant seven individuals who were either from China or who had recently traveled there could not participate. Donovan has offered to bring all seven back for the 2021 challenge at no charge.

(02/10/2020) Views: 1,476 ⚡AMP
by Anne Francis

Wounded war hero Luke Wigman is set to run seven marathons, on seven continents for a second time

War hero Luke Wigman will this week run seven marathons, on seven continents in seven days – for a second time.

Elite RAF paratrooper Luke, 33, from Selston, Nottingham, starts the epic race this Thursday in Antarctica as he bids to become the first Brit to ever run the World Marathon Challenge twice.

He scooped a Sun Military Award after completing the epic running challenge in 2017 after suffering horror leg injuries when he stood on a hidden bomb in 2011 in Helmand.

And now he is back to run it again – this time raising funds for the RAF Benevolent Fund – which supported him during his rehabilitation.

Married Luke, who was a Senior Aircraftsman with the RAF Regiment, revealed he agreed to take on the epic race with just two weeks’ notice.

He said: “My goals are different for this one, I want to survive. I’m not focused on running the best times every single day, I just want to get to the end in one piece.

“When you’re doing this, you don’t know what country you’re in, what time zone, but it’s all irrelevant.

“All you’ve got to remember is you’ve got 168 hours to run 183.4 miles.

“What makes the World Marathon Challenge so hard is the travel, you’re traveling for 60 to 70 hours on a plane, through the week.

“My injury is lower leg, and my blood flow through to the leg is quite bad, so the flying and the traveling is really hard for me.

“I could end up with an elephant leg by the third day just from the flying.

“But if I can get to the end in one piece and shed some light on the RAF Benevolent Fund, then it will be mission accomplished.”

Luke believes the endurance challenge is the toughest of its kind out there, saying: “It’s physically horrendous, it's mentally tiring and it’s a logistical nightmare, but you just need to get to the end.

“I couldn’t let the opportunity pass, the first time was such a success, this time I want to do it for the RAF Benevolent Fund.

“They have had a huge, direct impact, on my life since my injury in 2011.

“If I can replicate what I did three years ago then why not, I’ll do it again.

“This is an opportunity to pay them back, I can only do these incredible challenges because of the rehab I received and the support from the charities along the way.”

In 2017 Luke, who served with the crack Special Forces Support Group, ran consecutive 26.2 mile races in Antarctica, Chile, Miami, Madrid, Marrakech, Dubai and Sydney, in less than a week.

This year the route starts in Antarctica before jetting to Cape Town, South Africa, Perth, Australia, Dubai, Asia, Madrid, Europe, Fortaleza, South America before ending in Miami, North America.

Luke aims to complete the challenge despite his leg being re-built two years ago to repair scar damage caused by the bomb blast.

(02/06/2020) Views: 1,515 ⚡AMP
by David Willetts

Troy University graduate and microbiologist, Jessica Jones will compete in the World Marathon Challenge

Dr. Jessica Jones has run a long way from her hometown of Sulphur Springs, Indiana (population 374), and next week she will be running around the globe.

The 1999 Troy University graduate and microbiologist will compete in the World Marathon Challenge, a challenge in which competitors run seven marathons on seven continents in seven days.

Jones’ journey has taken her to a variety of locations and planned career paths, but running has always come naturally for her.

Coming from such a small town in Indiana, she knows how unlikely her life story has been.

“As a young 17-year-old, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted — a degree in marine biology, to go to a smaller school, somewhere where it was warm and somewhere I could walk onto the cross country team,” Jones said. “It just so happens those factors liked up for me at TROY.”

A phone conversation with then-cross country coach (and Troy University Athletics Hall of Famer) Bob Lambert convinced Jones that TROY was the right destination for her.

She ran track and competed in cross country for two years at TROY, finding the University to be a home away from home.

“I loved it, I really did,” she said. “It was the perfect fit for me. TROY has grown a lot since I was there, but it was exactly what I was looking for — it wasn’t overwhelming to me, coming from a small town, and I was really happy to be a Trojan athlete.”

Jones stopped running in order to focus on her studies, and she later switched tracks, earning a Ph.D. in microbiology from South Alabama.

While she kept running to stay in shape, a national tragedy inspired her to enter the world of marathons.

“I started marathoning after the Boston Marathon bombing (in 2013),” Jones said. “I was already into running again pretty seriously at that point – 5k, 10k and half marathons. After the bombing, there was a big sense of community, and the runners all pulled together. It reminded me that’s where I felt happy was in the runner community at TROY. That motivated me to go for a marathon.”

Since then, Jones has competed in more than 30 marathons, recently winning the Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon and the Mobile Marathon.

Now, the person who didn’t want to be overwhelmed in college is preparing to compete in Antarctica, among other exotic locales.

“I’ve been thinking about this for four or five years,” said Jones, who works as a supervisory microbiologist at the Food and Drug Administration Gulf Coast Seafood Laboratory on Dauphin Island. “A friend of mine at work, his niece ran this event either the first or second time it happened. I said, ‘Wow, that’s incredible, I can’t imagine doing that.’ Then I started thinking that maybe I can imagine it. She set the world record, and I said, ‘I’ve got to do that.’”

While Jones has traveled to Europe and South America before, this daunting challenge will be an entirely new experience.

(02/04/2020) Views: 1,514 ⚡AMP
by Greg Phillips

Linda Carrier, 57, is ready for global challenge

Upon crossing the finish line of a marathon, endorphins high and glowing with accomplishment, any devoted runner might start thinking about the next one.

In a few weeks, Linda Carrier will finish six laps of a seven-kilometer ice airstrip in Antarctica and board a plane, not for home in Pinehurst, but to Cape Town, South Africa.

There will be another race to run 12 hours hence.

Going from subzero temperatures to a summer day will call for a wardrobe overhaul, but a half day and 2,500 miles after finishing the first marathon, Carrier will set off on another 26-mile course.

That’s just the first leg of the World Marathon Challenge, which will see Carrier and 40 other runners from around the world run seven marathons on seven continents. They have all of 168 hours to do it.

Extreme athleticism has been in vogue for a while as a way to subvert midlife crisis, but Carrier took up running as a teenager soon after she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. She first ran a half marathon in 1995 at 33, and has been gradually pushing her physical boundaries ever since.

Carrier has run more than 100 marathons and half-marathons. Not just any marathons, either: Berlin, Chicago, New York, London, Tokyo and three times at Boston. She celebrated her 50th birthday by running a 50-mile trail ultramarathon in Washington state.

“I never let diabetes define me". She said. When she was diagnosed with diabetes, there was no question of slipping into inactivity as she learned to give herself insulin and moderate food intake.

“Running added to the complexity of the equation, but my doctors said it was really helping,” she said.

Carrier dove into distance running on a lark. She ran her first marathon in Honolulu with friends and hoped, at best, to come through it alive.

As forms of exercise go, running is easily the most accessible. There’s no equipment needed, aside from a decent pair of shoes, and any trail or stretch of road will suffice for a course. It wasn’t long before Carrier started noticing her fellow runners’ shirts, and the names of groups that transcend national boundaries and unite people who make a hobby of running regular marathons.

She was soon drawn into the fold and found herself ticking off all the boxes: qualifying for Boston, then onto the other major cities. Now 57, Carrier has run marathons in 29 states, which means she only has 21 to go.

“The key to this schedule is you start out and just start to build,” she said. “Her training schedule basically got it where I was learning to run on tired legs. Running seven marathons and flying over 33,000 miles straight, through all of the time zone changes and running in different temperatures, you’re going to be tired.”

“Linda is an inspiration to so many within the diabetes community as she represents our goal of helping individuals with diabetes live longer, healthier lives,” said Mark Grant, vice president of the Americas region for the Diabetes Group at Medtronic. “We are humbled that our MiniMed 670G has supported her journey, and look forward to following her future successes.”

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by Mary Kage Murphy

Nontuthuko Mgabhi from Richards Bay aims to be the first woman from Africa to run the World Marathon Challenge

A Richards Bay woman is aiming to become the first woman in Africa to run the World Marathon Challenge - seven marathons on seven continents in seven days - in February.

On Suday, a 15km and 5km fun run and walk was held in Bulwer to raise awareness about her attempt and to help raise funds for it.

Nontuthuko Mgabhi, 32, will use the challenge to raise R3.5million for Khipinkunzi Primary School in Mtubatuba.

“I wanted to do something special for my birthday and was asked to give a motivational speech at the primary school last year, which has 657 pupils from Grade R to Grade 7. When I arrived at the school, I saw the poor state it was in and wanted to make a difference,” Mgabhi explained.

She is aiming to raise R3.5million to build five classrooms, two administration offices and to revamp the school.

Participating in the World Marathon Challenge means she would have to cover 295km and spend about 68 hours flying. The first marathon is in Antarctica on February 6, the second will be Cape Town on February 7, February 8 is in Perth, February 9 in Dubai, February 10 in Madrid, February 11 in Fortaleza in South America, and finishing in Miami on February 12.

Mgabhi said she started running in 2013, when a friend asked her to participate in the East Coast Radio Big Walk with her.

Ten months later, she participated in the Comrades Marathon and has since completed more than 50 marathons, including four Comrades and 15 ultra marathons.

(01/28/2020) Views: 1,713 ⚡AMP
by Kwazulu-Natal

Ultra--marathon runner Susannah Gill has written a book about her running experiences

The ultra-marathon runner, whose parents live in Much Wenlock and who spent her time training in the south Shropshire hills, has teamed up with her coach and founder of The Running School, Mike Antoniades, to write a book of her experiences.

'Running Around the World: How I ran 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days' takes the reader on a truly inspiring journey which sees Susannah go from a non-runner to conquer her ultimate challenge of running 183 miles (295 km) and travelling 55,000 miles, all inside 168 hours. In the process she ran in to the female world record holder.

Readers are taken on a whistle-stop global tour, from the icy snow of Antarctica all the way around the world to the warmth of Miami’s South Beach.

Susannah raised nearly £20,000 for SportsAid, a charity that supports Great Britain’s next generation of athletes.

Her best marathon time is 2:56, which she achieved at the Manchester Marathon in April 2019. Aside from the 60+ marathons she has completed over the last decade, she has run numerous ultra-marathons, including 100-kilometre, 100-mile and 24-hour races.

The book is based on the special partnership between runner and coach. Susannah and Mike give unique insights into the physical effort and mental toughness needed to achieve Susannah’s world record which saw her complete each marathon in an average time of 3 hours 28 minutes and 9 seconds.

Susannah said:“In January, I set off with 39 other runners with the aim of completing the 2019 World Marathon Challenge.

"I came home a world record holder, having had the experience of a lifetime. With this book I wanted to share openly and honestly the highs, the lows and the often unexpected joy of pushing myself to new limits.

"I hope my story can inspire other people to realise we can all take on incredible challenges and be amazing.

“I am so pleased to have written this book with Mike. His expertise and support helped my running dreams come true.

"I am indebted to Mike and all at The Running School, as well as those involved in the World Marathon Challenge for allowing me to be part of such an amazing challenge.”

Mike added: “Over the last 40 years I have coached thousands of runners and athletes, many recreational runners and others to win medals and titles.

"What Susannah has achieved is a unique test of mind and body and an example of what can be achieved with focus and determination. In this book we have shared what we have both learnt, which we hope is both entertaining and helpful to all runners.”

Esther Newman, Editor Women’s Running Magazine, said: “Susannah is an incredible ambassador for women’s running."

Susannah will be speaking at The National Running Show on January 25-26.

(12/26/2019) Views: 1,577 ⚡AMP
by Lucy Todman

Jonathan Negretti, principal of a personal injury law firm will run 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days for charity

Jonathan Negretti will be one the competitors in the 2020 World Marathon Challenge. The World Marathon Challenge, which involves running seven full marathons on seven continents in seven days, will kick-off on Feb. 6, 2020 in Novo, Antartica.

Negretti will be one of only 50 competitors and will be competing to raise funds and awareness for Heather’s Mission, a nonprofit organization co-founded by Negretti’s wife to help those suffering from Crohn’s and Colitis Disease.

Negretti is personally afflicted with Ulcerative Colitis (UC), a type of inflammatory bowel disease that is a chronic and oftentimes debilitating disorder. It is predicted by the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation that the two diseases affect more than 1.7 million Americans, but their unpredictability and the stigma attached to them makes them hard to diagnose and treat, so most people suffer in silence.

Negretti was diagnosed with UC 20 years ago and eventually had to have surgery to remove most of his large intestine, which now requires him to live full-time with an ostomy bag. Negretti will be the only World Marathon Challenge competitor with a “disability,” even though he doesn’t consider it that.

“Participating in the World Marathon Challenge is not only an epic personal challenge, but an incredible platform for me to raise awareness for Heather’s Mission,” said Negretti. “My hope is to garner enough attention to make a difference in people’s lives and inspire others who are living with an ostomy.”

Heather’s Mission has adopted a stuffed animal bear called “Awesome Ollie the Ostomy Bear,” which it is working to get into the hands of patients who have undergone an ostomy surgery.

Negretti is raising funds for Heather’s Mission with a goal of donating one thousand Awesome Ollie Bears to the nonprofit organization. If he meets this goal, he will take Awesome Ollie around the globe with him on the World Marathon Challenge. 

(11/30/2019) Views: 1,648 ⚡AMP

British runner Susannah Gill has won the women’s title at the World Marathon Challenge after completing seven marathons in seven days, battling diverse conditions across seven continents

Gill finished a grueling 295-kilometer (183 miles) challenge in a world record time of 24 hours, 19 minutes and nine seconds, burning up to 5,000 calories a day.

The 34-year-old, who started the remarkable journey with the first round in Antarctica on Jan. 31, ran the final race in Miami on Wednesday in 3:26:24.

“It was a crazy ambition that I wanted to do. The challenge seemed absolutely irresistible to me,” Gill told BBC.

“Ten years ago, I just wanted to get fit and run the London Marathon. Now, marathon running has literally taken me around the world.”

American Mike Wardian claimed the men’s title with a total time of 20:49:30 for seven races.

Competitors gathered for the event in Cape Town on Jan. 29 before traveling to Nova, Antarctica for the first round, where Gill finished second in temperatures as low as -35 degrees Celsius.

Gill won the next race in Cape Town before battling Australian summer temperatures of around 35 degrees Celsius in Perth to extend her winning run.

Four more victories in Dubai, Madrid, Santiago and Miami capped an incredible week for Gill in which she also spent more than 63 hours flying over 88,500km across the globe.

(02/07/2019) Views: 1,768 ⚡AMP

Michael Wardian wins the World Marathon Challenge777 for the second time

Just like that the World Marathon Challenge777 is over. I finished day 7-Miami in 2:53:04-1st overall and an average time under 3 hours for the seven marathons on seven continents over seven days. Today I even ran a negative split.

I can’t even begin to explain how lucky I feel to have had this experience. Thanks to everyone at the WMC, the other athletes, crew, & all the family & friends that cheered us on. It is so incredible to watch everyone grow and discover what they are capable of.

Also huge thanks to the security person in Santiago that found my passport. That would have made things difficult. 

(Editors note: Michael Wardian wins again.  He didn’t break his world record he set in 2017 but averaging again under three hours is amazing.  And he is planning on doing three more marathons in DC over the next three days.  He will also be logging in his miles into RTW4 starting March 1.)

(02/07/2019) Views: 2,080 ⚡AMP
by Michael Wardian

Michael Wardian won the Antarctica Marathon the first of seven marathons to be run on seven continents over the next seven days

Michael Wardian, 44, of Arlington, Va. has won the first of seven marathons in the World Marathon Challenge in Antarctica today. Wardian, who won the challenge in 2017 and who holds the record for the fastest average time (2:45:57), finished today in 3:16:43. Running conditions are described as “quite challenging,” though the temperature is only -2 C, considerably warmer than many parts of North America.

Petr Vabrousek of the Czech Republic finished second, in 3:39:02, and Arno Van Triest of the Netherlands was third, in 3:49:55.

Among the women, Kristina Schou Madsen of Denmark finished first, in 3:47:41. Susannah Gill of Great Britain was second, in 3:53:55 and Stephanie Gicquel third, in 4:05:11.

The most recent update mentioned the temperature was becoming cooler, and the remaining participants have been on the course for more than five hours.

The group of 40 participants gathered in Cape Town, South Africa earlier this week to prepare for the challenge. They will return there for their second marathon, which starts tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. local time.

 

(01/31/2019) Views: 2,037 ⚡AMP

The World Marathon Challenge 7-7-7 starts tomorrow and Michael Wardian is set for the challenge and even beyond

I feel so unbelievably fortunate to have the opportunity to embark on the World Marathon Challenge again tomorrow.  The first stage, is Antarctica.  The weather is looking pretty good.

I am hoping to push myself beyond anything I have done before so will actually be adding three marathons in DC with Run Pacers at the end for a total of 10 Marathons in 10 days.

It is always exciting and a bit scary to start something and I can’t thank everyone enough for all the support. 

(Two years ago (photo) Michael Wardian set the record for the World Marathon Challenge.  He averaged 2:45:57 for each of the seven marathons run on seven continents over seven days.  He hopes to better that record.  

Like this would be enough for most runners, this year he is going to add three more marathons to the mix after Miami.  He is going to do ten Marathons in ten days.  We will be following his journey here.) 

(01/30/2019) Views: 2,196 ⚡AMP
by Michael Wardian

Shirley Parry is doing the World Marathon Challenge for children who can't run

Shirley Parry from Rancho Palos Verdes, California inspiration and her reason for undertaking this herculean effort is to support the Orthopaedic Institute for Children and, in her words, “to run for children who can’t.”

“My participation in the World Marathon Challenge is designed to raise money and awareness for OIC, which helps children with orthopaedic trauma injuries and musculoskeletal conditions—such as cerebral palsy and scoliosis—regardless of their families’ ability to pay,” she said. “It is an incredible organization; and in the spirit of the 777 marathon, my goal is to raise $77,700 to support this wonderful institution.”

Parry, who recently completed her Ph.D. in education, has been an active member of OIC’s support group, the Charitable Children’s Guild, since 2012. Through volunteer and financial support, the Charitable Children’s Guild and its auxiliaries significantly strengthen the programs at OIC by focusing their attention on ensuring that children get the orthopaedic medical care they need to get the most out of life.

The first leg of the 2019 World Marathon Challenge will take place Jan. 31 in Novo, Antarctica, followed by Cape Town, Perth, Dubai, Madrid and Santiago with the final event in Miami on Feb. 6.

The event is a logistical and physical challenge as participants run 295 kilometers (183 miles) over the 7-day period and spend about 63 hours in the air flying to the next continent. Only 78 men and 28 women have completed the challenge since the event’s inception five years ago.

Parry started preparing for the mind-boggling feat one year ago when she paid the 35,000-euro entry fee (approximately $40,000) and started training to join the select field of 2019 international runners. It will be the ultimate challenge for this 54-year-old who began running in 2011 as a personal commitment to staying healthy. Since that time Parry has finished 16 marathons, including races in Berlin, Paris, Chicago and Los Angeles.

(01/15/2019) Views: 1,891 ⚡AMP

Michael Wardian will be running the World Marathon Challenge once again, he holds the world record averaging 2:45:57 for the 7 marathons

The World Marathon Challenge is the only annual event that offers the opportunity to run 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days.

The first marathon occurs within the Antarctic Circle on mainland Antarctica and the final marathon takes place in Miami, North America.  

Michael Wardian holds the world record set in 2017.  His cumulative marathon time of 19:21:36 hrs (or average marathon time of 2:45:57 hrs) is outstanding.  He did not compete last year.  This year's Challenge starts January 31st.

Just today Michael posted on his FB page. "I am beyond excited to announce I have gotten a spot for 2019. Running 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents is without a doubt one of the most incredible things I have gotten to do and I cannot wait to see what is possible in 2019.

Thanks Richard Donovan (director of event) and team for allowing me the opportunity and to everyone that supports me. I can’t do these things without you," Michael wrote.

The entry fee for this event is 36,000 Euros ($40,087US). 

(12/20/2018) Views: 1,559 ⚡AMP
by

Sarah Reinertsen has been the only amputee to have completed the World Marathon Challenge

For a long time, people with disabilities were defined by what they couldn't do -- Sarah Reinertsen is choosing to be defined by what she can do as an amputee.

She's not just breaking down barriers, she's blazing a trail for all who come after her.

"Growing up, I knew I was different, right, and I was OK with being different but I was not OK with being told I couldn't do something," Reinertsen said.

"I was born with a tissue disease that meant that my thigh bone stopped growing, so although I had two legs, my left leg was extremely shorter than my right leg."

Reinertsen and her family decided to amputate her leg when she was just seven years old. "That was a really hard time for me," she said.

From age 7 to 11, Reinertsen struggled to make peace with her new reality.  "I was the only kid in my entire school that had a physical disability that you could see," she said.

"I had coaches that wouldn't let me play with the other kids on the main field. They would make me go kick a soccer ball on the side of the wall by myself and so for many years of my childhood I used to believe that narrative. I used to believe that I wasn't good enough."

That all changed when she went to one of her dad's 10k races -- like she did most weekends. But this race changed her life.

"There was a woman in the race who was an amputee and she was doing the 10k and I just thought, I had never seen another amputee on one of these road races with my dad and so I just thought 'wow, if she can run in this six mile race, maybe I could run and do a six mile race,'" Reinertsen said.

She's been running ever since. She learned the ins and outs of prosthetics and backed by Nike and Ossur Prosthetics, Reinertsen ran one race after another. But that was just the beginning.

"I knew this guy named Jim McClaren who had done an Iron Man on a prosthetic leg and I was like 'Jim that's so cool that you did an Ironman, I want to do an Iron Man just like you' and he said 'well I don't know of a girl on a prosthetic that can do it' and I was just like 'are you kidding, you do know a girl because you're looking at her, I'm going to do the Iron Man,'" Reinertsen said.

She not only did the Iron Man, she qualified for the world championship in Kona, Hawaii. She was one of only 10 in the physically challenged division and the only woman.

"I just believed that I could do it," she said. That belief has knocked down barriers all over the world.

She's also the only amputee to have completed the World Marathon Challenge.  That is running seven marathons on seven continents in seven days.

"It's sort of like a long race with sort of like naps in between," she said.

When she's not taking the athletic world by storm herself, Reinertsen is working with Nike's Innovation Kitchen, designing sportswear that gives independence to anyone who wants it, regardless of the physical challenges they may face.

(12/20/2018) Views: 1,476 ⚡AMP

Keri Mandell, is planning to run seven marathons on all seven continents in seven days

She’s really gearing up to run 183.4 miles in a week, including in Australia, Africa and Antarctica. Something only 103 people have ever done.

For comparison, 536 people have been to outer space. And yet the only thing that scares her about any of this is the airplane. “I don’t really like to fly,” she said. But while that might be true, this 36-year-old yogi, CrossFit coach, marathoner, Ironman triathlete and businesswoman is not really the type to not do what she sets her mind to.

To that end, Mandell is in the process of raising funds so she can participate in the 2020 World Marathon Challenge—a grueling contest.  When the specifics aren’t yet known for the 2020 event, locations for the 2019 challenge are: Novo, Antarctica; Cape Town, South Africa; Perth, Australia; Dubai in the UAE; Madrid, Spain; Santiago, Chile; and ending in Miami.

Self described as “wicked competitive” when she wants something and “so Type-A” all the other times, Mandell is no stranger to pushing past limits she used to have.

(12/12/2018) Views: 1,589 ⚡AMP

Dave McGillivray Triumphant in World Marathon Challenge

Renowned Boston Marathon Race Director Dave McGillivray conquered the World Marathon Challenge Monday night in Miami, completing 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days. McGillivray, 63, a Medford, Mass., native who now lives in North Andover, Mass., was the second oldest competitor in the challenge. He arrived back in Boston yesterday. He said, “It’s important for me to set a goal, achieve it – getting it done and feeling good about myself. Some people, like myself, need to be challenged.” (02/07/2018) Views: 1,856 ⚡AMP
Race Directors

America's Becca Pizzi is the Women's World Marathon Challenge Champion

Becca Pizzi (USA) wins women’s race in Miami and overall women's title in the World Marathon Challenge. It’s her second time winning! Her time today in Miami was 3:51:21. Becca says on her blog, "Running is in my DNA. My Dad is a runner and inspired me to start running when I was a six years old. I ran my first race when I was seven. I have never stopped, competing through college and running 45 marathons, including 15 Boston Marathons, and in 25 USA states." She is the only runner in the world who has won this event two times. (02/05/2018) Views: 1,848 ⚡AMP
Epic Running Adventures

Ireland's Gary Thornton is not new to Extreme Racing

Ireland's Gary Thornton wins in Miami and takes the outright World Marathon Challenge title! He won all seven marathons. Gary is not new to extreme running events. In 2016 he won the Antarctic Ice Marathon and in 2014 he battled the altitude and blistering heat to win the Volcano Marathon just to name two. Gary is a teacher and a 2:17 marathoner, He has won the Irish 10,000m track championships on two occasions. His best 10k on the track is 29:00 and he has broken 14 minutes for 5k. (02/05/2018) Views: 1,842 ⚡AMP
Epic Running Adventures

Becca Pizzi got lost during the sixth marathon in Colombia but still finished second

Becca Pizzi finished strongly last night at the 6th marathon in a time of 4:21.21. Apparently, there were some marking problems in the route and Becca ended up getting lost for a while. But she was able to get back on track and still managed to finish in second place. Meghan Newcomer (USA) finished first. Gary Thornton who had won the first five this time finished together with Jason Cousins from England. The last marathon of the World Marathon Challenge is today in Miami. (02/05/2018) Views: 1,564 ⚡AMP

Five marathons completed in Five Days...Two to go!

Becca Pizzi (USA) and Gary Thornton (IRL) continue to dominate the World Marathon Challenge on day five in Lisbon. Both winning by big margins. Becca’s winning time was 3:59:28 and Gary’s 3:19:28. Next stop South America. Boston Marathon director Dave McGillivary finished 12th in 4:42:52. (02/03/2018) Views: 1,599 ⚡AMP
Epic Running Adventures

Becca Pizzi wins her fourth marathon in four days

Becca Pizzi won her fourth marathon in four days today on the continent of Asis in the country of Dubai, almost eclipsing the 4-hour mark with a time of 4:00:01. Tomorrow, she will run her fifth marathon on the continent of Europe in Lisbon, Portugal. For the men Gary Thornton (IRL) won his fourth marathon in 3:04:29. This has to be a tough point of the competition. There were 35 men and 11 women finishers. (02/02/2018) Views: 1,677 ⚡AMP

Gary Thornton has won three marathons with four to go by Monday

Galway City Harriers Athlete Gary Thornton has won three marathons in three days at the World Marathon Challenge which sees competitors run seven marathons in seven days around the world. Gary won the Antarctic Intercontinental Marathon in a time of 2.58.39 followed by Capetown Africa the next day in a time of 3:06.55 and Perth Australia the following day in 2:59:55. The fourth marathon is today in Dubai. (02/02/2018) Views: 1,831 ⚡AMP
Epic Running Adventures

Becca Pizzi and Dave McGillvray Have Finished Marathon Three of Seven

Becca Pizzi with running legend and Boston Marathon race director, Dave McGillivray, at the finish line of the Perth Australia marathon, crossing off their third of seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. Dave McGillvray finished 10th in 4:28:08. America's Becca Pizzi continue to dominate the women's field winning in 4:02:13. Gary Thornton (IRL) continues to lead the men winning this marathon in 2:59:55, over 40 minutes ahead of second place. (02/01/2018) Views: 1,710 ⚡AMP

70 Degrees Warmer for Second Marathon In Challenge today

Gary Thornton (IRL) wins Africa Intercontinental Marathon (Cape Town) in 3:06:55 today. It’s his second marathon in 24 hours as part of the 2018 World Marathon Challenge. The temperature today was degrees 72 Fahrenheit , which is 70 degrees warmer than the windchill temperatures in Antarctica yesterday. Becca Pizzi wins second consecutive marathon in 4:11:15. She is the returning 2016 champion! (01/31/2018) Views: 1,711 ⚡AMP

American’s Becca Pizzi wins the First Marathon - Six to Go by Feb 5

American's Becca Pizzi was the overall winner of the 2016 World Marathon Challenge. Today she won the Antarctic Intercontinental Marathon (the first of seven) in a time of 4:06:45. In second was Renee DeMarsh(USA) 4.28.10, third Gulzhamal DeFelice (RUS/USA)4.38.03, fourth Meghan Newcomer (USA) 4.41:14, and fifth Cara Nelson (USA) 4:50:15. For men, Gary Thornton (IRL) won in a time of 2.58.39 today. Gary ran an amazing sub 3 hour time. Second was Jason Cousins (GBR) 3.44.56, third Scott Coey (AUS) 3.52.47 and in fourth Joshua Cohen (USA) 3.55.05. (01/30/2018) Views: 1,747 ⚡AMP
Epic Running Adventures

World Marathon Challenge 7 Marathons in 7 Days On all 7 Continents starts in a few hours

The 2018 World Marathon Challenge is due to start on schedule in Antarctica tomorrow, January 30th. A Boeing 757 VIP plane will fly competitors the 4,200km journey south from Cape Town to Novo on the frozen continent. (Present temperature is -2F) The race is scheduled to start at 15:00 Cape Town time. There are 56 people who paid $44,000 each to run the annual World Marathon Challenge and be flown and fed on the marathon route starting in Antarctica and finishing in Miami. (01/29/2018) Views: 1,437 ⚡AMP

Robert Owens, 66-year-old plans to run 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents

Robert Owens at 66, has completed a dozen Ironman races, along with other grueling physical competitions such as SEALFIT (a 50-hour Navy SEAL hell week for civilians) and a recent endurance event in Greece that involved running 238 miles in eight days. In a few days he will embark on perhaps the most insane trial yet: the World Marathon Challenge, where he will run seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. (01/24/2018) Views: 1,589 ⚡AMP

Boston Marathon Race Director Is Running 7 marathons in 7 Days On 7 Continents

Dave McGillivray, Boston Marathon director, has been running in a lot of road races lately in preparation for the World Marathon Challenge. “I haven’t participated in this many races in such a short period of time in 20 years,” says Dave. McGillivray and 54 other participants will fly by charter to run marathons in Novo, Antarctica; Cape Town, South Africa; Perth, Australia; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Madrid; Barranquilla, Colombia; and Miami beginning Jan. 30 and ending Feb. 5 (01/23/2018) Views: 1,423 ⚡AMP
Race Directors

4th Annual World Marathon Challenge Starts January 30

The World Marathon Challenge is a logistical and physical challenge to run seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. Competitors must run the standard 42.2 km marathon distance in Antarctica, Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe, South America and North America within seven days. The clock starts when the first marathon begins in Antarctica January 30. Fastest Average Marathon Times: (Men) Michael Wardian (USA) 2:45:57 (Women) Becca Pizzi (USA) 3:55:11. Wardian's 19:21:36 is the world best. (01/16/2018) Views: 1,696 ⚡AMP
Epic Running Adventures