A marathon year for Belgian amateur

Finally coming to a halt last Tuesday — the final day of 2024 — Belgian ultra runner Hilde Dosogne felt she had done enough to take the world record and become the first woman to run a marathon every single day of the year.

Weary, but seemingly far from exhausted from the weight of relentless marathon running, Dosogne emerged from the cold, gray light to cross the line amid a throng of fellow runners all celebrating an extraordinary feat.

"I'm glad it's over," she said after crossing the line on the last day, 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 kilometers 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 the GPS data, photo and video evidence and independent witness reports that she had to collect daily to meet the requirements of the Guinness World Records organization. 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 Aug 28, 2023.

In the female category, Dosogne would be in a league all her own, since the current record, achieved by Erchana Murray-Bartlett of Australia and posted on Jan 16, 2023, stands at 150 days.

One thing is sure: she doesn't want her feat to become a shining example of healthy living — more one of personal persistence, as she had to fight off the flu, COVID, a dozen-plus crashes, blisters and even bursitis. Overall, though, the brain took the toughest beating.

"The mental strain is harder than the physical. Of course, physically, everything has to be okay. 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 told reporters.