Running 150 marathons in a row might seem like something only a superhuman could pull off, but that’s exactly what 32-year-old Erchana Murray-Bartlett has achieved, crossing the finish line in Melbourne at about 6pm today.
Starting from the tip of Cape-York and making her way across the country- down through Australia’s eastern states, Murray-Bartlett has been running to raise money for the Wilderness Society and bring awareness to Australia’s extinction crisis.
Smashing her original fundraising target, she’s raised more than $98,000 and on day 107, Murray-Bartlett had already broken the world record for most consecutive daily marathons.
“I don’t want this to ever end because I’m having a lot of fun,” she said. “But I also really do need to stop because my body is at its limit,” Murray-Bartlett told The Guardian.
There were times she felt like giving up, encountering four injuries in her first few weeks and other challenges such as being swooped by flocks of magpies. However speaking to The Project tonight, Murray-Bartlett said that it was the support of fellow Australians who ran beside her who carried her through her final weeks.
The record-breaking runner’s final weekend of marathons involved group runs and support from friends and family, including some who flew in from overseas to watch her cross the finish line.
“[They’re] keeping me going,” Murray-Bartlett said. “It’s distracting me from the pain in my hips and my knees and my feet.”
As one might imagine, running a marathon daily for nearly five months has taken its toll on her body. Murray-Bartlett said her feet have swelled by half a shoe size, her body feels overused and sore and she has constant brain fog.
“You almost feel like you’ve aged 50 years,” she said.
Now, after completing the incredible feat, Murray Bartlett is looking forward to a long sleep and a chardonnay.
“I’ve loved meeting people- I’ve loved running with communities, being shown around… meeting wildlife volunteers and parks representatives and members of parliament.”
“There’s definitely going to be a lot of stuff that I’ve learned from this that I’m going to take into the next part of my life,” she said.