Hilde Dosogne of Belgium recently set a new world record for most consecutive marathons after running 366 full marathons (over 9,300 miles) in 2024. On May 30, 2024, the 55-year-old had already broken the women’s world record for most consecutive marathons (150), but she didn’t stop running until December 31, 2024, when she recorded her 366th consecutive full marathon of the year. It’s a monumental achievement to run 26 miles a day every day for a year, as well as incredibly taxing on the body. While Hilde had to overcome fatigue and bursitis, she claims that the mental stress of having to show up at the starting line every day was her most difficult challenge. “Mentally, I underestimated it,” Hilde said about the challenge. “It’s harder to prepare for that. I started each marathon at an agreed time so that people always knew when they could join me running. Of course, that doesn’t leave much room for flexibility. You always have to be there: in the dark, in the cold, rain, you name it. The free feeling of running is completely gone.” Believe it or not, Hilde also worked part-time the entire year, getting up early to go to work and also running about 4 hours a day before returning home. She had a plan drawn up with a dietician to make sure her body had the necessary resources to push through. For breakfast, she had pancakes with extra protein powder mixed into the batter, she consumed energy gels during the daily marathons, drank a recovery shake afterward, and then in the evening she had a warm meal. Apart from setting a new world record for women, Hilde also managed to raise over $65,000 through donations for the non-profit organization BIG Against Breast Cancer. Speaking about her achievement, Hilde said that she would like her record “to be considered not a shining example of a healthy lifestyle, but an example of personal perseverance.”
