Earlier this year, iRunFar caught up with blade runner and cancer survivor Jacky Hunt-Broersma, who had been running a marathon a day, every day, since mid-January.
The inspirational runner was on a quest to set a record for the most marathons run on consecutive days by a woman. On Thursday, April 28, she achieved that goal, finishing her 102nd marathon.
Hunt-Broersma is running to raise funds, and awareness, for Amputee Blade Runners, an organization that provides free, high-activity prostheses to amputees who wish to pursue an active lifestyle. At the time of this publication, her efforts have raised more than $27,000 for the nonprofit organization.
Jacky Hunt-Broersma. Photo courtesy of Jacky Hunt-Broersma.
Her original target was 100 marathons, to break the record of 95, set by Alyssa Amos Clark in 2021. However, since she began her attempt, U.K. ultrarunner Kate Jayden moved the goalposts by putting down a new record of 101 consecutive marathons.
Hunt-Broersma has shown that in life and in sport, she is ready to roll with the punches and deal with whatever is thrown at her. She began ultrarunning after losing part of her leg to cancer and told iRunFar:
“I moved quickly from five kilometers to half marathons to full marathons, and the only way up from marathons was ultras. I am very stubborn, and I always want to push myself further.”
Her stubborn determination shone when on day 86 of her challenge, upon learning of Jayden’s new record, she quickly revised her own target to 102 marathons, telling her Instagram following: “The last two can be my cool-down run.”
For marathon 92, she ran the Boston Marathon and took third place in the new Para Athletics Division for athletes with lower-limb impairments. The result was a brilliant accomplishment in its own right, but made more remarkable by the less-than-ideal taper!
On April 27, day 101, having now equaled Jayden’s world record, Hunt-Broersma told her fans: “I’m feeling so emotional right now because a little part of me didn’t think I’d get this far. I’m really doing it.”
And, now, she’s done it!
I did it. A new female world record💪. 102 Marathons in 102 consecutive days💪💪 #icandohardthings pic.twitter.com/HeKLMQh23L
— Jacky Hunt-Broersma (@NCrunnerjacky) April 28, 2022
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