Canadian man could break the world record for most marathons run in one year
One Canadian man could soon break the Guinness World Record for the most marathons run in one year.
On January 1, 2023, 42-year-old Ben Pobjoy from Toronto set out on a self-funded goal, titled the “Marathon Earth Challenge,” to complete as many freestyle marathons as he could around the globe.
Over the course of 365 days, Pobjoy managed to complete a total of 242 marathons across nearly 70 countries, trekking over 11,465 kilometres by foot across South America, Asia, North America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
“At the start of 2015, I was morbidly obese, so I learnt to walk in my early thirties. I slowly put one foot in front of the other and quickly lost 100 pounds in eight months. In doing so, I unintentionally found something else: total awe for the physical world and a growing appetite to move through it,” Pobjoy wrote on his website.
He first began his journey on New Year’s Day, running solo marathons across the hills and streets of dozens of countries, including Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Portugal, Japan, France, Malta, and India.
“From trekking in Ulaanbaatar’s chilly -20 degree temperatures with makeshift winter gear to enduring extreme levels of humidity in Malta, my year-long, earth-spanning adventure has been an unforgettable experience,” Pobjoy said.
The current holder of the Guinness record title is American runner Larry Macon, who ran a total of 239 marathons in 2012. Pobjoy recently submitted his application to Guinness, but it has not been assessed as of yet.
“This past year has been mentally and physically taxing, but it’s an incredible feeling to have achieved this momentous goal of mine and meet incredible people along the way,” the runner said.
“I did this project for the express purpose of documenting the human condition to share what was revealed to me in terms of meaning, wisdom, and insights for the now and the eternal.”