When Michael Wardian heard about the World Marathon Challenge several years ago, he didn’t just want to complete it—he wanted to be the fastest ever to do it. Crossing the finish line at the final stop of a seven-day tour of seven continents, where he ran seven marathons, he did just that, averaging 2:45:57 for each 26.2-mile race.
Wardian was one of 32 men and women to finish the 2017 World Marathon Challenge, which began on January 23 with a 26.2-mile race in Union Glacier, Antarctica, and ended on Sunday in Sydney, Australia. In between, the group flew to and raced marathons in Punta Arenas, Chile; Miami; Madrid; Marrakech, Morocco; and Dubai.
Ryan Hall, the two-time Olympian with a personal best of 2:04:58, also participated in the running trip around the globe. Dont Ever Bandit a Race than Wardian’s—to complete each marathon and raise awareness for the L.A. Dream Center, a faith-based organization that addresses the needs of people experiencing homelessness, hunger, poverty, addiction, or human trafficking.
After retiring from professional running a year ago, Hall, 33, also viewed the journey as a way to say goodbye to the marathon. His fastest of the seven races was 3:04:56 in Morocco, and Hall’s slowest time came in the final race when he finished in 5:15:34.
“I’m thankful to have run as many marathons as I have but a new season is here,” he wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday.
Wardian, 42, who lives in Arlington, Virginia, won each of the seven races along the way. He broke three hours in each marathon. His slowest was 2:54:54 in Antarctica, where temperatures were below zero.
“It made me question my sanity every day,” Wardian told the Washington Post during a Facebook Live interview on Sunday. “It was something really special.”
On the women’s side, Silvana Camelio of Chile was the winner with an average time of 4:12:37. BethAnn Telford from Washington, D.C., also finished the challenge and won one of the group’s “sportsmanship awards.” She is living with brain cancer and raised money for brain cancer research—her $5,000 prize will be donated to her fundraising efforts. Wardian was also awarded a prize of $15,000 toward a charity of his choice.
