The 55-year-old ran 15,444 kilometers (9,596 miles) over the course of a year.
Finally, stopping on the last day of 2024, Belgian ultrarunner Hilde Dosogne felt she had done what it took to claim the world record as the first woman to run a marathon every day of the year.
Tired but seemingly far from exhausted from the weight of relentless marathon running, Dosogne emerged from the cold gray light to cross the line as a crowd of other runners celebrated a remarkable achievement.
“I’m glad it’s over,” she said after crossing the line on Tuesday, putting behind her the latest crash of many when she collided with a spectator during her final run.
In addition to being rewarded for her persistence in running at least 15,444 kilometers (9,596 miles) in a single year, the 55-year-old also raised around 60,000 euros ($62,438) in funds for breast cancer research.
Now comes the recording of GPS data, photographic and video evidence, and independent witness reports that she had to collect every day to meet the requirements of the Guinness World Records organization. If approved, the record should officially be hers in about three months.
The 55-year-old would join Hugo Faria, the Brazilian who holds the male record of 366 days, which he achieved in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on August 28, 2023.
In the women’s category, Dosogne would be in a league of her own, as the current record held by Australia’s Erchana Murray-Bartlett stands at 150 days.
One thing’s for sure: she doesn’t want her feat to become a shining example of healthy living — more of personal perseverance, after battling the flu, COVID-19, a dozen more bumps, blisters and even scholarships. Overall, though, the brain took the hardest hit.
“Mental strain is more difficult than physical strain. Of course, physically, everything must be in order. Otherwise, you can’t run for four hours every day. But it was more mental to be there at the beginning every day,” she told The Associated Press news agency.
Dosogne was able to do most of her marathons on a flat loop around a body of water just outside the university town of Ghent, where a strong headwind could be her strongest competitor.
Even there, she said, she wasn’t going to take any statistical risks, and instead of 42.195km (26.2 miles) a day, she made sure her run stayed at 42.5km (26.4 miles) – just to be safe.
Dosogne wishes she had extended her days in the same way.
As a bio-engineer at a chemical firm, she started extra early so she could squeeze in a marathon every afternoon. And because she couldn’t run at top speed every day, she reached an easy speed of 10 km/h (6.2 mph), which also allowed friends and witnesses to run along.
The only time her daughter Lucie felt she might not make it was the day she collapsed after 27km (16.7 miles), had to be rushed to the emergency ward with a dislocated toe and spent a long time there to allowed to finish. the marathon according to the regulation. The solution? “She started all over again,” Lucie said.
“It’s still a little crooked,” Dosogne said.
