In the United States, a woman named Jackie Hunt-Broersma, who started running after losing her left leg to cancer, broke the Guinness World Record for the number of marathons in a row. Her story is told by the BBC.
Jackie Hunt-Broersma is 46 years old and has been running more than 40 miles a day since mid-January, usually about five hours. On Saturday, April 30, she completed her 104th marathon in the same number of days — the achievements will be entered in the Guinness Book of Records, and the certification will last about three months.
Back in early 2022, Jackie set a new goal: to set a record for the number of marathons in a row. In total, she ran 4,399 kilometers. By documenting these races on social media, Jackie raised more than $ 88,000 for the "Amputee Blade Runners" (which provides people with amputated limbs with running blades like hers).
The Guinness World Record for womenʼs marathons was 95 days. It was launched two years ago by Alyssa Amos Clark, a runner from Vermont. The Guinness record for men belongs to the Italian Enzo Caporaso — 59 days.
Jackie was born and raised in South Africa, living in England and the Netherlands. In 2002, doctors in the Netherlands diagnosed her with Ewingʼs sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer. Two weeks later, her left leg was amputated to save her life. She was 26 years old. For the first few years, Jackie struggled with the changes in her life, wearing long pants in public so people wouldnʼt notice the prosthesis. She started running in 2016, buying a specially adapted prosthesis. Jackie took part, in particular, in the world-famous Boston Marathon. And because marathons are not held every day, she also ran local dirt trails, neighborhood trails and her own treadmill. In his daily life, Jackie works as an endurance coach.