Runner to take on seven marathons in seven days

A RUNNER from Wargrave hopes to complete seven marathons on seven continents in seven days.

Sam Jolly, 23, who works at Hurlingham Stretch Tents, an events company in Maidensgrove, will take part in the Great World Race.

Mr Jolly will cover 295km on foot, starting by treading ice in Wolf’s Gang in Antarctica, next Saturday.

Last year, he completed a 1,347km journey from John O’Groats to Land’s End in
16 days, raising more than £12,000 for the charity Mind, which supports people struggling with poor mental health.

His school friend, Will Good, 23, from Crowthorne, dropped out six days before the end due to a shin injury.

After flying from Cape Town to Antarctica in a private, chartered jet for the first marathon, Mr Jolly will fly business charter to the remaining six locations.

This includes Cape Town in Africa, Perth in Australia, Abu Dhabi in Asia, Algarve in Europe, Cartagena in South America and Miami in North America.

Athletes will complete six circular laps of 7.03km at Sea Point promenade.

The Perth marathon is operated by the West Australian Marathon Club in Burswood.

The marathon in Abu Dhabi will blend tradition and modernity.

The fifth stop in the Algarve offers a mix of history, nature and coastal views.

The penultimate marathon in Cartagena will see runners go out-and-back to the coast six times.

The final leg of the Great World Race will take place at South Beach in Miami.

Mr Jolly found out about the race, which his dad’s university friend runs, after visiting Antarctica in February to work as a general camp assistant for a holiday company. He said: “When I was speaking to him, he mentioned offhand about the marathon. About 20 minutes later, I got a call from the guy who runs it and I signed up. I had heard about it before but I didn’t think it would ever materialise.”

The first marathon will be the hardest but most fulfilling, said Mr Jolly. Key difficulties include zero humidity, leading to dry lungs, 2,000 metres of elevation and unpredictable weather conditions.

He said: “You run up and down the runway on the ice in your normal road shoes but I think the race will depend entirely on the weather and how bad it is. It could be really sunny or really windy.

“Last time, because I didn’t have sunglasses, I got badly snow blinded and burnt from wearing a T-shirt, so that’s one thing I’ve learnt ahead of the race at least.”

Mr Jolly said he is not concerned about the distance but more about the exhaustion from travel this time around.

He said: “The distance last year was double, so I’m not really worried about that, but I am worried about running a lot faster and the travel is going to be quite intense. I’ll be happy if I can do them in four hours.”

To avoid injury, Mr Jolly has been preparing with more weighted gym work and fewer miles, a maximum of 30km.

He said: “My legs were absolutely cooked after two days last time. I had pain in my shins, back and Achilles but luckily my knees weren’t so bad.

“It was all just so painful last time but I think my muscles will hurt more this time, so I think the gym will help.”

Throughout the seven-day event, he will be supported by nutritionists, physios and aid stations, based at around every 2km.

He said: “This time around, I should definitely be eating a lot more because I’ll be burning so many calories. I lost 8kg last time.

“It should be more fun and exciting this time around, though, because of the support, especially meeting my sister at the last race in Miami, who is flying from her university in Boston.”

The person with the fastest average time across all seven marathons will be declared the champion in both men’s and women’s categories.

Competitors also have the opportunity to break world records, as the Antarctica Athletics Federation, Guinness World Records and the Book of Alternative Records recognise the races.