Who is Susannah Gill?
She’s a British endurance athlete hailing from Vauxhall, South London. The 34-year-old is a veteran marathon runner, competing for over 10 years and running over 40 marathons in total. She’s finished 10 London Marathons with a personal best of 2 hours 58 minutes and held the Guinness World Record for the fastest woman dressed as an animal (because, why not?!).
Her favourite races are apparently the Pharaonic 100KM in Cairo (placing 1st woman and third overall) & the Henley to Putney 100KM.
What’s more, you might see her out and about as her favourite training spot is the streets of London and the hills of Shropshire.
Which world record did Susannah Gill break?
She completed the World Marathon Challenge – A.K.A the 777; 7 marathons in 7 continents in just 7 days. A total of 183 miles ran (55,000 miles travelled) in a record time of 22 hours 50 minutes and 42 seconds, which meant burning up to 5000 calories a day.
In doing so, she beat the previous record holder, United States Marine Corps Captain Daniel Cartica, by nearly half an hour. What’s more, she won six of the seven legs.
Speaking to the BBC, she described the week as “extraordinary”.
What is a 777 run?
It’s a run that encompasses seven continents, seven marathons in seven days. It’s for elite athletes, challenging them both physically and logistically.
This year’s run went as follows:
- Novo, Antarctica
- Sea Point Promenade, Cape Town, Africa
- Burswood, Perth, Australia
- The Beach Dubai, Asia
- Jarama F1 Circuit, Madrid, Europe
- Parque Araucano, Santiago, South America
- South Beach, Miami, North America
The 168-hour timer starts when runners begin their route across Antarctica.
Susannah’s marathon times corresponded as follows:
- Antarctica – 03:53:55
- Africa – 03:21:32
- Australia – 03:19:19
- Asia – 03:26:23
- Europe – 03:11:49
- South America – 03:37:44
- North America – 03:26:24
Why did Susannah Gill run a 777?
There are a few reasons Gill made the decision to run a 777. #
For one, she’s entered a hall of fame that has seen fewer than 200 runners complete the daunting task. Notably with Sir Ranulph Fiennes reaching the finish line in 2003.
She’s also raising money for SportsAid and continuing to grow her already impressive list of athletic achievements. The funds raised will go towards supporting young athletes who are looking to be Great Britain’s future sporting legends.
What’s Susannah Gill doing now?
Sitting back, drinking a well-earned glass of bubbly, no doubt. But as a keen runner and a fundraiser for SportsAid, we imagine we’ll be hearing of her upcoming plans soon.
Want to follow Susannah’s journey? Find her on Twitter: @TheIronLadyRuns.
What to take part in a running event yourself?
Don’t worry, we’re not expecting you to throw yourself straight into a 777 world marathon challenge. A 5k is just as much of a challenge for some of us. Check out what events are coming up in your area by looking through our Events Calendar.
