Starting the journey - 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days
For me, a big part of living the adventure life is taking on challenges that push me mentally and physically.
If I am not sure that I can even accomplish the challenge....that’s when I sign up!
Hoping to look this happy while running the World Marathon Challenge!
Enter the World Marathon Challenge (WMC). The only event of its kind, the WMC is a logistical wonder as it takes runners around the world to complete 7 marathons on 7 different continents in only 7 days.
I want to run it! Especially since participating in the Challenge would allow me to visit some amazing destinations. Scheduled to start on February 6, 2022, the marathons will take place in:
Antarctica: Novo
Africa: Cape Town, South Africa
Australia: Perth, Western Australia
Asia: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Europe: Madrid, Spain
South America: Fortaleza, Brazil
North America: Miami, Florida
There is only one real roadblock that is keeping me from signing up right now. It costs 42,000 euro (about $50,000) just to register.
Since I do not have anywhere near that kind of money, I knew I had to come up with an alternate plan to cover the registration fee. After thinking about it for a couple of days, I decided to ask companies for financial sponsorship to cover the registration fee and basic travel expenses to and from the event.
In total, I am looking to raise $53,000. Considering I cringe (and check my bank account) any time a race registration fee costs over $100, this dollar amount is pretty daunting.
So, why do it?
World Marathon Challenge inspiration
To answer that we have to rewind back to 2016 when I first heard about the WMC.
It was a morning in January when I saw a photo online of Becca Pizzi standing triumphantly under a race blow-up arch in Antartica, her arms raised in the air. The caption said that she had just won something called the World Marathon Challenge where she had finished 7 marathons on 7 continents in only 7 days. She also broke the women’s record.
Wow! I leaned back in my desk chair, more than impressed with her accomplishment. But also the idea of running 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days captured my imagination that day.
I wondered if I could do it, but instantly pushed the idea out of my mind. There was no way someone like me who had barely finished the Honolulu Marathon two months earlier could accomplish something like that.
But still I had to find out more. I thought an interview with Becca would make a good topic for article that I was looking to write, so I reached out via Facebook.
Obviously, I didn’t know her, and she had never heard of me. I knew it was a toss up if she would even reply. But to my surprise, she replied and agreed to an interview.
It took a couple of tries, but we finally were able to connect via Skype. Becca was so nice, enthusiastic, and painted a beautiful picture of her World Marathon Challenge journey.
I wrote the article, got it published in an online women’s adventure magazine, and moved on. But I never forgot about the World Marathon Challenge. It stayed at the back of my mind, teasing me with the possibility of a grand adventure.
Fast forward to 2020. COVID hit and due to lockdown I found myself spending A LOT of time by myself at home. Running was keeping me sane and I even started exploring trails.
It was on one of those days when I was half running/half hiking a trail that the idea of entering the World Marathon Challenge randomly popped into my mind.
What? I quickly shook my head no at the thought, and then looked around worried that someone had seen me. I was safe. No one else was on the trail.
Running down the trail a little bit more, I started to consider the idea. Could I do it? Since that interview with Becca in early 2016, I had turned into a bit of an adventure junkie.
I had done things like run an ultramarathon in New Zealand, taken an alligator wrestling class in Colorado, tried paragliding and powered hanggliding, and gotten my freediving certification.
Very tired after finishing the 2017 Tarawera Ultramarathon in Rotorua, NZ
Could the World Marathon Challenge be my next big adventure? Suddenly, I just smiled. I really did want to run the World Marathon Challenge.
At that point, I needed validation that this was not a crazy idea, so I reached out to Becca. It had been almost 4 years since I had last emailed her after the article was published. But once again, she proved herself a lovely person by remembering me and enthusiastically encouraging me to go for it. That’s all I needed to hear.
Knowing that I didn’t have the cash to cover the hefty registration fee, I also asked Becca for any advice about raising the funds since she also had to raise her own registration fee. She shared some great ideas and I started to get excited.
But wanting to do something that costs $50,000 and actually doing it are two very different things. I needed to formulate a plan.
I emailed the race director to get some details and uncovered something interesting. If I entered in the World Marathon Challenge then I would be the first Native American woman to participate.
What an honor. But also what a responsibility. I thought of all my little girl cousins back on the rez and knew that seeing someone just like them finishing the World Marathon Challenge would be something they would find exciting.
It took about two weeks to figure it all out. I came up with a plan and that’s where I currently am at. I am now working the plan to seek financial sponsorship so I can be the first Native American female to run the World Marathon Challenge!
7/28 Sponsorship Update
I am one week into my seeking sponsorship campaign and while I have had some folks say no, two companies have already said yes. Woohoo...collectively I have $700 (and some product) so far!
So, to my first two sponsors, Wanderer’s Outpost and Saltstick....THANK YOU SO MUCH! I am grateful that you believe in me and are officially on board for this amazing journey.
That leaves me with $700 down and only $52,300 more to go. That is a lot. I won’t pretend that it is not, especially since so many businesses took such a financial hit during COVID and may not have the funds to contribute. But since everything gets a bit easier after the first company agrees to contribute, I am going to ride that enthusiastic high and keep sending out my emails.
Another piece of motivation is that I decided to donate any funds raised over my goal to two non-profits:
Running Strong for American Indian Youth – Started by 1964 Native American Olympic gold medalist, Billy Mills, Running Strong helps Native Americans meet their immediate survival needs while also implementing programs that build self-sufficiency and self-esteem. I will run their virtual 10k this week.
Girls on the Run Hawaiʻi (GOTR Hawaiʻi) - A fun organization that uses an experience-based curriculum, GOTR integrates running to inspire girls in grades 3-5 to be joyful, healthy, and confident. I also plan to be a volunteer coach this fall season for my local GOTR chapter.
The thought of being able to donate a large amount to both of these amazing organizations really fires me up!
Where do I go from here?
There is some urgency in seeking financial sponsorship since the World Marathon Challenge is capped at about 50 runners (first come, first serve) so that is my number 1 priority right now.
But while I am seeking sponsorship, at the same time I am also spending a lot of time training. Running 183.4 miles in 7 days is something I have never done before so this is uncharted territory.
Running around my neighborhood to train
But I have learned that with a plan to act as your map, you can navigate anything. So, with a little over 6 months til the February start date, I am focusing on training physically and mentally. To help me prepare, I am reading Susannah Gill’s book, Running Around the World. In the book, she shares about her training and experience running the 2019 World Marathon Challenge where she set a new world record average time of 3 hrs, 28 min, 9 seconds.
While her descriptions of all 7 of the marathons are what prompted me to buy the book, it’s her included training plan that I was really stoked to discover. In fact, with some adjustment for my fitness level (I definitely cannot run Susannah’s pace) I plan to use the training plan outlined in her book to prepare.
She also recommended that runners read three other books to mentally build prepare yourself to tackle this multi-day challenge. They are all on my to-read list. The first book, Grit by Angela Duckworth, is actually something I read for work two years ago, but since it’s such a great book I am going to read it again.
This is the beginning of what I know will be great journey that will only end after I cross that last marathon finish line in Miami. Training will consume the rest of my year and through January, but this adventure is definitely worth it.
Once I am able to financially register for the race, I plan to do a big announcement on my Instagram and then will follow with regular updates via this blog and on my social media.
For those companies that would like to support financially, you can reach out via the form on my Contact page or feel free to email me directly at liveholoholo@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
It’s going to be a phenomenal adventure. I hope you follow along.
Til next time,
Nicole