Running around the world
In a nutshell
Susannah Gill ran 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days, won and set a women's world record. Czech triathlete Petr Vabroušek was in the race too. At the end there's even a packing list; just don't forget the hefty entry fee.
Who it's for: Anyone dreaming of extreme marathon challenges.
With the subtitle “How I ran 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days”, you can probably guess what this book is about. Running Around the World came out at the end of 2019. That same year the author won this unusual race and even set a women’s world record. Also in the team of “globetrotting runners” was Czech triathlete Petr Vabroušek, who finished second overall.
In 168 hours, the author covered 85,000 km by plane. An extravagance for people who don’t know what else to do, or a proper running contest? The book’s co-author is Mike Antoniades, a respected coach who trains athletes at the highest level. So it looks like b) is the right answer.
Susannah worked in central London and lived the life of ordinary young people. At least the lucky ones. Two late nights out during the working week and an even bigger party at the weekend. And maybe it all started in a pub, where she bet a colleague that she would run a marathon faster than him. She didn’t actually manage 3:46 on her first try. She missed by two minutes, but running got her hooked. She started working on herself and gradually shaving minutes off her personal best.
She did especially well at the London Marathon. That’s also where she set a Guinness record for the fastest marathon in an animal costume. Dressed as a peacock, she flew home in 3:18. The record lasted a few years until she was overtaken by a tortoise. That didn’t throw her, though, and she kept working. She completed several ultramarathons and 24-hour runs, and then she came across a new challenge: the World Marathon Challenge (WMC). Could she run seven marathons on seven continents in seven days?
Susannah Gill
These days you don’t need to organise or plan anything. There are agencies that take care of everything, and this event is no different. You only need one thing: fitness and a strong mind. And money. Lots of money. The entry fee for 2022 was a little over a million Czech crowns. Everything else was handled by a support team: two photographers, a cameraman, someone keeping track of transfer times, a team leader, a doctor, assistants, a private plane…
The first step, though, was proper training. This is when the author approached her coach from the Running School in London. Systematic preparation began, lasting several months. So the book describes the individual training phases and specific daily plans, both from the author’s and the coach’s point of view. This switching of authors goes so far that the book even includes the text messages Susannah and Mike exchanged during the WMC.
The first marathon, in Antarctica
Running around the world begins
The second step was getting to Cape Town, where marathon number two was held. The first one awaited them in Antarctica. After Cape Town came a flight to Perth in Australia and then back west to Dubai (Asia). Europe was represented by Madrid, South America by Santiago in Chile and North America by Miami in Florida.
At the finish
The book makes it clear that the event is really well prepared and everything runs as it should. At each marathon venue, local support teams set up the marathon course. These were no “sightseeing” routes through the city. Often the race was ten or more laps. And at night. According to the author, that was an advantage: runners knew what to expect and where the aid stations would be. Her goal wasn’t just to take part, but to fight for a good placing.
Based on their best times and experience, Danish runner Kristina Schou Madsen and Frenchwoman Stephanie Gicquel were considered the favourites. But Susannah surprised more than just herself and fought for victory from the very start. In the book she describes her battle, especially with Kristina, with whom she raced right up to the last marathon. In the end the author won, but Kristina came back to win a year later.
The race took place in February 2019. Two months later, Susannah ran a personal best of 2:56 at the Manchester Marathon. So it seems the WMC was good preparation for pushing her limits. If you dream of something similar, just turn to the end of the book. There the author gives a list of what to take on this trip. It’s a bit like a packing list for summer camp. Just don’t forget to pack that million crowns for the entry fee…
