FOR some, completing just one marathon would be a memorable achievement – but an ex-Sherborne man has blown this out of the water.
James Elliot-Square, who attended Sherborne Prep School before eventually moving to Dubai, is celebrating after he managed to conquer seven marathons in just five days across seven continents.
James was joined by his friend Paris Norriss as they took on the World Marathon Challenge.
This challenge asked them to complete seven marathons on seven continents in seven days – but the pair set a new record as they finished in just five days and 19 hours.
The gruelling challenge was no mean feat as James ended up crossing the finishing line on crutches – and he even broke the world record for the fastest time to complete a marathon on crutches
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The challenge saw them travel to Novo in Antarctica, Cape Town, Perth, Dubai, Madrid, Brazil, and Miami to raise money and awareness for Strides for Good – a campaign to raise support for underprivileged children through The Sovereign Art Foundation, which creates opportunities through art.
James says that while the challenge was exhausting, it was rewarding to know they were raising money to make a difference to many children’s lives.
“Even when facing gruelling pain, our ‘why’ pushed us through, and we never wavered from our goal,” he said.
“To push yourself past your comfort zone is the only way to grow, which was compounded by doing it for such a great cause.
“Seeing all of the competitors, getting to know them all and their causes, makes you realise that humanity is alive and well, and we should all push ourselves to help less fortunate souls.”
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- James was forced into using crutches during the challenge Picture: pnorriss
Starting in Antarctica, the pair fought -15°C temperatures, but both ran a strong marathon before getting back into a Soviet Ilyushin 76 cargo plane to Cape Town to start the next marathon – just 15 hours after without any sleep.
It was here when a previous injury that had cursed James for months ruined his day and reduced him to walking before he eventually finished the race on crutches.
With five marathons left to go, he committed to finishing the whole challenge on crutches with his mind set on his higher purpose to raise support for underprivileged children through the Sovereign Art Foundation.
A spokesperson for the challenge said: “This not only established him as a hero among on competitors but he also broke the world record twice in a week for the fastest time to complete a marathon on crutches.”
The runners faced harsh conditions Picture: pnorriss
The challenge was as much an athletic feat as it was a logistical task, whereby the runners were only able to rest during flight times, with only two to three hours between landing and starting the next race.
They then ran a marathon in Perth, Dubai, Madrid, Brazil and finally in Miami.
With the help of the Brain Performance Centre in Dubai, they were able to perform a rapid recovery pit stop where the pair underwent intense physiotherapy treatment whilst in a hyperbaric chamber with 100% oxygen.
Paris was at a breaking point at this stage but was able to be back on track the next day.
“I would not have been able to run in Madrid if we hadn’t had The Brain Performance Centre there to put me back on track,” he said.
The pair in Antarctica Picture: pnorriss
On February 6 at 6am, after running through the night, Paris reached the finish line in Miami in five days and 19 hours, followed shortly after by James Elliot-Square on crutches.
The success of the challenge means the pair are the first people from the United Arab Emirates to complete this challenge.
A docuseries also filmed their exploits.
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