Belgian woman runs marathon every day in 2024 to set world record
Finally coming to a halt on the last day of 2024, Belgian ultrarunner Hilde Dosogne felt she had done what she needed to take the world record as the first woman to run a marathon every single day of the year, Al Jazeera reports.
Weary, but seemingly far from exhausted from the weight of relentless marathon running, Dosogne emerged from the cold, grey light to cross the line as a throng of fellow runners celebrated an extraordinary feat.
“I’m glad it’s over,” she said after crossing the line on Tuesday, leaving the last crash of many behind her when she collided with a spectator during her final run.
On top of the reward for her perseverance in running at least 15,444 kilometres (9,596 miles) in a single year, the 55-year-old also raised some 60,000 euros ($62,438) in funds for breast cancer research.
Now comes the filing of GPS data, photo and video evidence and independent witness reports she had to collect daily to meet the requirements of the Guinness World Records organisation. If approved, the record should be officially hers in about three months.
The 55-year-old would join Hugo Farias, the Brazilian who holds the male record of 366 days, which he achieved in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on August 28, 2023.
In the female category, Dosogne would be in a league all her own, since the current record by Erchana Murray-Bartlett of Australia stands at 150 days.
As a bio-engineer at a chemical firm, she started especially early so she could squeeze in a marathon every afternoon. And because she could not run at top speed every single day, she stuck to an easy 10km/h (6.2mph), which also allowed friends and witnesses to run along.
Earlier, Kazinform reported that more than 2,000 runners from 18 countries competed in the Astana City Marathon given the Road Race Label status by World Athletics.