Elaine Du, a female photographer from New York University who was born in 2000s, has completed the 7

Elaine Du, a female photographer from New York University who was born in 2000s, has completed the 7th World Marathon Challenge (777WMC)

The 777 World Marathon Challenge 2023 (to run seven marathons on seven continents in seven days), the first ultra-marathon of the year that has attracted great attention of many running enthusiasts, ended on February 7. Elaine Du, a female photographer from New York University, born in 2001, succeeded in the Challenge, successfully finishing all seven half-marathon races for the half-marathon group and setting a new record for the youngest female finisher in the history of the event.

 

 

(North American time  3:31pm, February 7, 2023  Souvenirs for finishing 7/7 challenge)

Elaine Du is a junior at NYU Tisch School of The Arts, pursuing a BFA in the Department of Photography and Imaging. In 2015, she finished the Polar Circle Half-Marathon in Greenland as an international volunteer. In 2018, she challenged the White Continent Marathon in the Antarctic - King George Island Half-Marathon, winning second place in this group with excellent performance. It is learned that she has finished more than 20 half marathons since 2015. Over the years, she and her father have continuously participated in the “Mileage Conversion” public donations organized by the running group for charity, insisting on raising funds for sports equipment and donating library books to schools in poverty-stricken areas. In 2019, she held her second solo film exhibition for charity in Beijing, which raised USD 12,000 for school children in poverty-stricken mountainous regions.

About the 7th777WMC 2023

The 7th777WMC 2023 lasted from January 31 to the early morning of February 7, 2023, gathering more than 50 extreme challengers from the United States, Germany, Canada, Mongolia, Turkey, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Cayman Islands, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Singapore and other countries.

 

By virtue of their individual endurance and collective cooperation, they ran seven fullmarathonswith a length of 42.195km on seven continentsin seven days. (Nine of them ran half marathons.)

(The initial marathon challenge officially started at 8:40 on the morning of January 31, local time.)

 

The youngest participant in the 777WMC is 13 years old (half marathon), while the oldest is 80 years old. And there are also four parents and children pairs. In particular, the two challengers are in a wheelchair, which is really inspiring.

More than 40 full-marathon challengers -- 7 days ×24 hours, ran over 295km in 7 marathons, and experienced a felt-air temperature difference of approximately 50℃within a short time. What’s more, between marathons, they had to adapt themselves to the repeated jet lags during their flights that lasted over 50 hours and covered over 40,000km in total. Thus, they experienced the most severe physical and mental challenges, as well as a battle of wills. All challengers must complete physical recovery and relevant preparations for the next marathon during the 10-hour flight interval between stations.

Optimism and positive attitude witness their joys and hardshipsin every journey

The initial marathonof this 777 WMC officially started at the Novo Base in Antarctica (8:40 am, January 31, local time).After this, all the participants headed to Cape Town in South Africa for the second marathon in Africa, Perth in Australia for the third one in Australia, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for the fourth one in Asia, Madrid in Spain for the fifth one in Europe, Fortaleza in Brazil for the sixth one in South America, and Miami in the USA for the last one in North America successively. 

 

About 777 (WMC)

777 is the nickname of World Marathon Challengegiven by marathon enthusiasts around the world, which means running seven marathons on seven continents in seven consecutive days (168 hours).

The initial marathonof 777 starts on the Antarctic continent. As the gun is fired at the Antarctic Station, the timer will start. Only the challengerswhofinish seven marathons on seven continents in 168 hourswill be declared the winners.

Founded in 2015, the World Marathon Challenge has been successfully held for six consecutive years until 2020, with 181 participants. The men’s net time record is held by Michael Wardianfrom the USA with a 7-station average of 2:45:57, while the women’s average time record is held by Kristina Schou Madsen from Denmark with a 7-station average of3:25:57.

In 2021 and 2022, WMC was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, the event restarted.The 7th 777successfully ended in Miami, the USA in the morning of February 7, 2023.