Brown sets global ultrarun records

Christian Brown Johnson shattered two Guinness World Records at the Great World Race by completing seven 50km ultramarathons on seven continents in a record-short time of six days, 10 hours and 24 minutes and recording the fastest average time across the seven races (4:29:22). The second edition of the global endurance event featured 55 finishers from 16 countries who ran stages on Antarctica, South America, North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia, with stops in Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, the Algarve, Cartagena, Perth and a finish in Miami. Competitors endured extreme conditions—from −27°C on the Antarctic ice to 34.9°C in Perth—while coping with gruelling long-haul flights and very limited recovery between stages.

American Paul Box won the men’s overall title with an average marathon time of 3:26:29, while Lithuania’s Roma Puisiene took the women’s crown averaging 3:53:14. Veteran runner Dan Little, aged 82 years and 359 days at the Miami finish, again became the oldest person to complete a half-marathon on all seven continents within a week, underscoring the event’s appeal to athletes testing limits of age and endurance. Organisers noted multiple stage records and said the event’s turnout reflected growing interest in extreme, travel-driven ultra-endurance formats.

The race’s structure required athletes to complete each stage, then immediately board long-haul flights to the next continent, creating a severe test of recovery, sleep management and adaptability to shifting climates and time zones. More than 295 kilometres of racing and the logistical complexity of international transfers amplified the challenge beyond pure running performance. Several competitors reported that coping with consecutive flights, minimal rest and rapid temperature swings proved as decisive as pace.

Organisers described the Great World Race as evolving into one of the most ambitious endurance events globally, combining athletic performance with travel endurance and resilience. The mix of elite and veteran participants, plus notable age-defying performances, points to a broader shift in ultra-distance sport where multi-continent challenges are increasingly pursued as attainable goals. For many finishers, the event was a personal triumph of strategy, stamina and adaptability; for the sport, it signalled rising popularity of combined travel-and-race-formats that push athletes beyond conventional marathon settings.