This Former Pro Athlete Ran 7 Marathons in 7 Days on 7 Continents

Originally, I ran a couple of times every week, usually during autumn and spring, to supplement my kayak training. I enjoyed it and appreciated its simplicity—you just dress up and go. Secretly, I was also fascinated by the idea of running a marathon because it is so different from sprint kayaking: An hours-long event compared to a race that ends in a few minutes.

Besides running some 5Ks and 10Ks during kayak training, my first focused running race was the 2015 Riga Half Marathon in Latvia, followed by the 2016 Munich Marathon. In 2017, I also ran the New York City Marathon and did an Ironman triathlon.

These races and the triathlon training sparked motivation for what I call “lifelong fitness,” which to me, means staying in shape to enjoy all the adventures life has to offer. That journey led me to create The Athlete Blog and to write The Resilient Athlete.

Then, I tackled my biggest running journey yet—The Great World Race—seven marathons on seven continents in seven days: Wolf’s Fang in Antarctica, Cape Town in South Africa, Perth in Australia, Istanbul in Asia, Istanbul in Europe, Cartagena in South America, and finally, Miami in North America. The truth is, I like to think that this event found me.

A few years ago, an athlete asked me to help him train for his own Great World Race. After a year of coaching, I went to Madrid in early 2023 to support and run marathon number five with him. I saw what the event looked like from the inside and met the organizers. One thing led to another, and they invited me to come along for the ride, so I ran some of those marathons.

It was then time for me to train for my own experience. Because I carry a lot of aerobic base from years of kayaking and am generally quite active, I did not rely on ultra high run volume or cardiovascular improvements to train for the 2024 Great World Race. Instead, my priority was to build as much strength and endurance in run-specific muscle groups to prevent injuries during the challenge.

In the first months of training, I did sets of lunges within an easy long run, then explosive jumps combined with marathon-paced intervals. I also did postrun bodyweight strength sessions and standalone plyometric sessions.

Two to three months before the challenge, I started to focus on three long runs in a row. So, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I would do back-to-back runs lasting longer than two hours, with extended high-zone 2 heart rate efforts.

I built my overall mileage to around 60 to 70 miles per week, with some down weeks.

An important note about my training is that I did a laboratory test to align my zones and determine the effort where my fat oxidation levels start to decline. This helped me a lot with pacing the challenge and making sure I had enough energy for recovery and subsequent races.

The most challenging part of the World’s Great Race is to accept that these will not be your fastest races. One of the main factors is lack of sleep. Between some marathons, I got six to eight hours on longer flights, but I ran a few marathons on only one to three hours of sleep. I could do races faster, but then doing so would affect the recovery for the next one.

Each marathon was challenging in its own way. In Antarctica, the first marathon, I ran on snow with zero percent humidity, 1,200 meters above sea level, and an overall elevation gain of around 180 meters (590 feet). On top of that, I hadn’t slept before the race because we had to leave 24 hours earlier than expected due to approaching bad weather.

Right after that was the South Africa marathon, which had pleasant conditions, but we ran within 16 hours of being in Antarctica. During this marathon, we formed a group of three runners with an average 2:45 marathon time to run together for most of the races. We slowed down for each other when needed. It was a beautiful experience to run side-by-side. We had fun along the way and encouraged runners we passed. Unofficially, we called ourselves the “hype train.”

Then, after a 12-hour flight, we went to Australia, which also had good conditions. This was probably the last marathon where I felt relatively fresh, because then came blisters, pain, and stomach issues due to fatigue.

Next, we were on to marathons number four and five, which were two quite challenging races in Turkey (one side of the Bosphorus Strait is Asia, the other, Europe). The first marathon was in the evening in poor weather with rain, wind, and low temperatures and visibility. We finished past midnight. The next marathon was at 12 p.m. the next day and most of the people got only four hours of sleep. This is when some of the runners started to struggle.

The second-to-last marathon in Cartagena, Colombia was the most physically demanding race. It was in scorching heat, 90 percent humidity, under direct sunlight, and finished around noon. After 90 minutes, most of us turned to run/walk just to keep moving.

Finally, we ran in Miami, which was, emotionally, the easiest, because there was a lot of support on the course. However, physiologically, for most runners, it was also the hardest because of accumulated fatigue.

My average time for each race was 3:26. This placed me in the top three male runners, just a couple of minutes away from winning the challenge. My slowest marathon, 3:50, was Cartagena. The fastest was Miami, which I finished in 3:13.

Completing such an extreme challenge is as difficult mentally as it is physically. In fact, mental health is a cause very close to my heart. It’s something I struggled with while transitioning from a professional athlete lifestyle. My peers struggle with this, too. However, depression and anxiety aren’t faced only by elite athletes. Emotional pressure, a hectic lifestyle, conflicting demands, and the resulting fatigue are universal and nobody is immune.

After completing the first marathon of the race in Wolf’s Fang Australia.

I personally believe that conscious exercise is a tool for better mental health. When done right, it improves our health, lifts us up, and fills us with energy and purpose so that we’re able to show up better across the board—for family, work, and personal projects. My goal for this challenge was to inspire people to build a resilient mindset and embrace an active lifestyle. I believe I achieved that.

These three tips have made my running journey a success:

1. Follow a structured strength plan

Build strength and power during your off season, which will translate to run speed during race season. There is a certain periodization when structuring a run block toward a race, but there should also be periodization in strength training to improve the force the body is able to produce.

2. Test your intensity zones and stick to them

Too many people run fast on their easy days and have no energy to run on their key workout days. The intensity of base mileage should be in low zone 2 to build endurance. Spending $150 on a lab test can give you important insights about your aerobic zones and completely transform your running.

3. Hydrate and fuel sufficiently

Understand how hydration and fueling before, during, and after a run affects your body, and don’t be afraid to experiment. Personally, in 2017, I switched to a vegetarian diet and feel that I recover more quickly from long and intense sessions.

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Andrejs’ Must-Have Gear

→ Garmin Fenix Pro 6 and HRM Pro Heart Rate Monitor Chest Strap: Does the workout even count if there’s no data? I’m a data nerd and I love to analyze the metrics (even years after). I still have my written training diaries from my pro kayaking days and sometimes go back to look at them (especially the heart rate data) for answers to my questions.

→ Resistance Bands: I use resistance bands for everything; from warmups to mobility to injury-prevention exercises.

→ TRX Suspension Trainer: With two young kids at home, I prefer to spend time with them so I avoid going to the gym, so a home workout setup is a necessity for me.

→ Recovery Socks: Over the years, I found the best recovery tool for me are recovery socks. Often, I do a long workout first thing in the morning and then spend half a day working at the desk. Socks help.

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Emily Shiffer has worked as a writer for over 10 years, covering everything from health and wellness to entertainment and celebrities. She previously was on staff at SUCCESS, Men’s Health, and Prevention magazines. Her freelance writing has been featured in Women’s Health, Runner’s World, PEOPLE, and more. Emily is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she majored in magazine journalism at the Medill School of Journalism and minored in musicology. Currently residing in Charleston, South Carolina, Emily enjoys instructing barre, surfing, and long walks on the beach with her miniature Dachshund, Gertrude.