New Zealand woman runs 1000 ultramarathons in 1000 days
7 hours ago
- Shannon-Leigh Litt, a 47-year-old New Zealand criminal barrister, completed 1,000 ultramarathons in 1,000 consecutive days, covering 50,000 km.
- She ran 51 km daily (or more), enduring extreme conditions from flooding in Malaysia to -10°C in Austria, and battled severe flu three times.
- Litt burned through over 90 pairs of shoes but reported no injuries, only occasional blisters and thigh tension, crediting careful nutrition with carbs, protein, and electrolytes.
- She started the streak on January 1, 2024, after being inspired by an Australian woman's 150 consecutive marathons and convinced by friend Jayden Anker to do ultras.
- Guinness accepted data on about 800 runs so far; she broke the record for most consecutive ultras after 200 runs but kept going to 1,000.
- To count, each run required outdoors, 51 km minimum, GPS watches, two witnesses, videos, and photos; she often ran at 1 am for 5.5 hours before work.
- Her longest run was a 249 km race, and she sometimes hallucinated (trees turning into dragons).
- Now finished, she plans to ease back by running a 42 km marathon daily until year's end and then rest fully next year.