Belgian woman surpasses 15,000 km in year-long marathon feat Eyes Guinness World Record

A 55-year-old Belgian woman has completed an extraordinary feat, running a marathon every day for the entire year of 2024 in a bid to set a new world record.

Over the course of the year, Hilde Dosogne covered an impressive 15,444 kilometres (9,596 miles), finishing her final run on December 31, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

Despite the physical and mental toll, including multiple crashes, the runner expressed relief upon crossing the finish line.

In addition to her remarkable endurance, she raised approximately €60,000 ($62,438) for breast cancer research, adding a philanthropic element to her world record attempt. The runner now faces the task of submitting GPS data, photos, video evidence, and independent witness testimonies to meet the criteria set by Guinness World Records. If approved, the record will be hers in roughly three months.

Currently, the male world record for daily marathons is held by Brazilian Hugo Farias, who ran for 366 consecutive days, achieving his goal on 28 August 2023 in São Paulo. In the female category, the current record stands at 150 days, set by Australian Erchana Murray-Bartlett. Should Dosogne's achievement be confirmed, she would set a new benchmark for female marathon runners.

Despite the physical demands, Dosogne emphasized that the mental challenges were the most difficult aspect of the attempt. "The mental strain is harder than the physical. Of course, physically, everything has to be OK, otherwise, you can't run for four hours every day. But it was more mental to be there at the start line every day," she explained to The Associated Press.

Most of her runs took place on a flat loop around a body of water just outside Ghent, where strong headwinds often proved to be her biggest challenge. To ensure she met the marathon distance, she ran a safe 42.5 kilometres (26.4 miles) daily, rather than the standard 42.195 kilometres (26.2 miles).

As a bio-engineer at a chemical firm, Dosogne started her runs early in the day to accommodate her work schedule, typically running at a steady pace of 10 km/h (6.2 mph). This also allowed friends and witnesses to join her along the way.

Her daughter, Lucie, recalled one particularly worrying day when Dosogne crashed after running 27 kilometres (16.7 miles). With a dislocated finger, she had to be taken to the emergency ward, where she spent too much time to officially finish the marathon under the rules. "She started from scratch again," Lucie said, describing how her mother pushed on despite the setback.

Though Dosogne's finger remains slightly crooked, she remains undeterred, and her extraordinary accomplishment is set to enter the history books if her record bid is validated.

By Aghakazim Guliyev