I Ran 7 Marathons in 7 Days on 7 Continents

0:01 I've done a lot of crazy things on this channel.

0:06 But this is the first time I'm

0:07 attempting something I genuinely think is impossible.

0:13 It's called [music] the Great World Race.

0:16 Running a marathon is already impressive in and of itself,

0:19 but how about running seven of them in seven days on all seven continents?

0:23 Less than 300 people in the history

0:26 of mankind [music] have ever finished all seven.

0:29 And it's a race that absolutely wrecks even the most elite athletes.

0:36 Can I do that?

0:37 And if I could, wow,

0:38 what what type of person would I be on the other side of that?

0:41 To accomplish this, I'll need to run farther than I've ever [music] run

0:45 and prepare my body to survive in the most extreme biomes on Earth.

0:50 And yes, that includes Antarctica.

0:53 Okay, so this is Yeah, it is Everything there is yeah, designed to kill you.

1:00 What you're about to watch is the unbelievable story that follows

1:03 me and 60 of the craziest [music] people you'll ever meet.

1:07 Somebody's got to be the oldest.

1:11 Living in a plane for 7 days, [music] flying around the globe,

1:14 hitting the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.

1:19 Michelle is in a dark place right now.

1:21 [music] This is the Great World Race.

1:28 Let's go!

1:41 You guys remember how hard it was for us to get into Secret Service?

1:44 This was actually harder.

1:46 And I've always wanted to come here cuz

1:48 it's like this top secret Pentagon where athletes [music] train to kick ass.

1:55 I will be put through a series of tests that will help

1:57 determine what my training plan should be for the next 7 months.

2:02 You can feel the tension, huh?

2:05 [laughter]

2:05 Cuz I don't want to do this in front of you who tests world-class athletes,

2:09 in front of David who is a world-class athlete,

2:12 and Gareth who's a world-class coach.

2:13 You know, when I first heard about the Great World Race,

2:15 I thought it was a crazy thing and I've

2:17 been around crazy athletic things my whole life.

2:19 People doing Iron Mans and Tour de France.

2:21 So, the idea of seven marathons in seven days was insane.

2:26 Okay.

2:26 You seem a little bit scared, but you're going to be okay.

2:29 Three, two, one.

2:32 In endurance event, what we need is

2:34 someone to be very efficient at burning fats.

2:36 So, that's measured by we use the the mask on them in the lab for the VO2 test,

2:40 [music] which tells us exactly how much

2:41 fat and carbohydrates they're burning at different intensities.

2:44 And then we measure lactates in the blood

2:46 to see how effective they are metabolically as well.

2:48 Three, two, one.

2:53 Well done.

2:54 13.2.

2:55 13 That's That's high.

2:56 Yeah.

2:57 Got some good anaerobic capacity going on.

2:59 All these markers are deeply scientific and then can shape the training program,

3:03 so every workout has a purpose.

3:05 So, 48 ml per minute per kilo.

3:08 And where does that that stack among other athletes?

3:12 Yeah, I mean, a little bit below the average for runners.

3:16 Yeah.

3:17 You're a well-tuned Audi, you're not a Ferrari.

3:20 You're a really well-tuned Audi,

3:21 which is better than being a poorly tuned Ford Focus.

3:24 So, Gareth has taken all of that data that we've gathered

3:27 and turned it into a 7-month [music] training plan specific to my body,

3:32 my athletic ability, and this event we're training for.

3:36 My training plan is going to be a lot of running.

3:41 [laughter] Pretty much.

3:42 Black represents shorter runs [music] like 1 to 9 miles.

3:48 Blue is anything 10 miles and [music] above.

3:51 Got an 18-mile run today.

3:53 And I'm also noting anytime I have to do a lactate

3:56 test or VO2 max [music] testing to update my data.

4:00 And if you're interested,

4:01 I put all of these details in my fitness app [music] at challengefitness.co

4:04 where you can check out all of our pre-built training plans for a 5K,

4:08 half marathon, and even a full marathon.

4:11 You might be wondering, how is this even possible?

4:14 So, this is the route for the Great World Race,

4:17 starting here at the bottom of the globe.

4:19 Race number one, Wolf's Fang, Antarctica.

4:23 You know, it would be really cool in Antarctica if we saw a penguin.

4:26 Then we fly up [music] to Cape Town, South Africa.

4:30 And then we fly 12 hours to race number three in Perth, Australia.

4:34 [music]

4:34 After Western Australia have seen their driest month on record.

4:37 Fly another 12 hours to race number four, Abu Dhabi.

4:42 Arab Emirates faces a sizzling record-breaking [music] temperature.

4:45 Then we're flying all the way to the coast of Portugal,

4:47 then fly seven more hours to [music] race number six, Cartagena, Colombia.

4:53 Run another marathon.

4:55 And then [music] fly just a few hours over here to Miami, the grand finale.

5:00 And these seven races take [music] place across five extremely different biomes.

5:05 So, my next step is to figure out how to prepare my body for all of this.

5:17 Holy cow.

5:18 Ooh.

5:21 This is [laughter] really happening.

5:24 Oh my god.

5:25 The ceiling.

5:26 It's like when you leave ice cream in the freezer too long.

5:29 A warm 5° Fahrenheit.

5:32 -11° Celsius for Gareth.

5:37 Welcome to Antarctica.

5:40 [laughter] Does this feel like Antarctica?

5:41 Yeah, to a certain extent.

5:44 [laughter] I'm David Kilgore.

5:45 I'm a professional athlete for Red Bull

5:47 and I'm about to win the Great World Race.

5:50 So, this will be my third time at the Great World Race.

5:52 Really, I would argue that it's the most

5:54 challenging race and the most challenging continent,

5:57 the continent of Antarctica.

5:59 Oh my god.

6:02 [laughter] Someone's definitely been murdered here.

6:04 It is marathon [laughter] number one as well,

6:06 so it really sets [music] the tone and there's such

6:08 a big chance of people to not finish [music] the first one,

6:12 including Michelle, so I know she's probably she's probably quite nervous.

6:15 Today, we are in a cold storage freezer to train for the first marathon,

6:21 which famously is on the great continent of Antarctica.

6:26 [laughter] Yes, so The focus of today is to mix and match

6:28 gear to see what will work best on the day.

6:30 But the hardest thing we've been trying to figure out

6:33 is how to keep my gels and water bottle from freezing.

6:36 [music] So, what have we done to the liquid here to help it?

6:39 Is it just room temperature or is it It's insulated, yeah.

6:43 Oh my god.

6:44 Is it cold?

6:45 It's so It's so cold.

6:47 How are you going to eat a gel with gloves on?

6:51 You have to feed me, Gareth.

6:53 [laughter]

6:53 So, one of the things we use during the races for fueling is energy gel,

6:57 which is basically a carbohydrate concentrate.

6:59 The best ones from a scientific perspective taste pretty bland.

7:06 [laughter] But they work and they don't give you stomach distress.

7:08 So, we focused on using stuff that was actually working rather than the flavor.

7:12 Okay, so we have a non-frozen gel that's kept next to my body.

7:14 That's good news.

7:16 You can actually see the steam coming off right now.

7:18 Yeah.

7:18 Psychologically, it's pretty tough right now.

7:21 I feel a lot of impostor syndrome doing this.

7:25 It feels like everyone else is so much more experienced.

7:28 I think everybody has the same feeling as you.

7:31 Really?

7:31 Yeah, I don't know.

7:32 even Kilgore?

7:33 Even me.

7:34 I mean, as as crazy as it sounds, I try to enjoy [music] the moment.

7:38 Especially in a place as wild as Antarctica,

7:42 and you just like look around and I'm like, "Wow, how insane is this right now?

7:46 This is where I get to be."

7:47 You're already winning by putting yourself out there, so that's super awesome.

7:50 But it's not just Antarctica I need to be prepared for.

7:54 It turns out the [music] remaining races will all be in extreme heat.

7:59 So, Coach Gareth, you are the mastermind here.

8:02 We're going to learn today how your body reacts in this type of heat.

8:05 Cuz you've been training [music] in LA and it's been hot,

8:07 but it's not this hot or this humid.

8:11 Ooh, I'm feeling it.

8:12 So, we're going to get exact sodium loss

8:14 [music] uh from your sensor into your watch,

8:16 exact water loss, and I've got a gauge here about heat stress.

8:20 So, what we're learning is in the hot environments,

8:23 I need to go intentionally slower.

8:24 Yeah, absolutely.

8:26 Whatever dream scenario I had for training for this event has absolutely gone

8:30 out the window because this year has felt like being thrown into a blender.

8:33 We're halfway through the training.

8:34 I just got out of my lactate test with Coach Gareth.

8:38 All of my data said that I am extremely fatigued.

8:42 It should be trending down here.

8:43 As soon as I saw these two, [music] I knew you were fatigued.

8:46 Yeah.

8:46 When I do these challenges, I don't do them in a vacuum.

8:51 I will literally red-eye to France, immediately get off the plane,

8:54 run 10 miles, and then go film Jet Lag: The Game.

8:58 [music] Jet Lag season finale, let's go!

9:01 Originally, when I saw my schedule for this year

9:04 and [music] I saw all the travel, I thought, "Okay, well,

9:06 this will be great to prepare for this event

9:08 because there's so much travel." 4:15 a.m.,

9:11 I am in Vienna shooting another episode of Jet Lag.

9:13 That's it.

9:14 [music] Getting in a couple hours of running before the shoot day starts.

9:18 Oh my god.

9:19 That's a massive lever.

9:21 Holy And I'm going to be honest, like it has compounded to a massive degree.

9:27 Then I get COVID.

9:28 I'm on my ass in bed for 3 weeks straight, losing an entire month of training.

9:33 I was looking forward to really getting in a groove

9:35 and just watching all of my Strava numbers get better,

9:39 but [music] it was a goddamn roller coaster where the car flew

9:43 off the tracks and we landed in the pond near Six Flags.

9:51 My little sister [music] watches all of your videos and she

9:55 really looks up to you And she's very inspired by you.

9:59 And she is one of literally millions of people who feel that way about you.

10:04 So, think about the fact that with each ounce [music] of effort

10:09 that you put in and the pain or difficulty that you feel,

10:14 the output of that is a moment of inspiration for millions of people.

10:18 So, that's pretty good, Matt.

10:19 [music] Oh my god, thank you, Adam.

10:31 Usually when I do a challenge,

10:32 I keep it all to myself until it's all wrapped up and done.

10:37 And this time, [music] I decided to post online and share with everyone.

10:42 We leave tomorrow for the Great World Race.

10:45 Ah, I'm trying not to freak out.

10:47 And to my surprise, I had a lot of people telling

10:53 me that I shouldn't do it or that I can't do it.

10:58 To be totally honest, like this is not always the case,

11:01 but sometimes [music] when I tell people I'm

11:05 doing this, this is kind of the reaction.

11:08 So, the concept is running seven marathons in 7 days.

11:15 Wait.

11:16 Oh god.

11:16 Oh my god, Michelle.

11:18 How?

11:19 Why?

11:19 I like to hope and think and pray

11:22 that these sentiments are from a place of care,

11:27 but at the same time it wasn't what I needed to hear right now.

11:32 I want more than anything to have the strength and the mental willpower to say,

11:37 "I'm going to prove them wrong." Um but also, what if they're right?

11:47 [music] Going into the race briefing, I am completely full of imposter syndrome.

11:57 It feels like walking into a high school

11:59 reunion for a high school I didn't go to.

12:02 Everybody else knows each other or can swap stories [music]

12:06 of major marathons they've run and world records that they have.

12:10 I definitely feel out of place.

12:13 Hi, I'm Michelle.

12:15 Jackie, but you you ran 104 marathons in a row.

12:21 Marathoners typically run on two legs and grit.

12:25 Jackie Hunt-Brummer does it on one.

12:27 20 years ago at age 26, the South African native got bone cancer.

12:33 Within 3 weeks, I went from cancer diagnosis to having my leg amputated.

12:37 So, this is basically like a warm-up for you.

12:39 You're here to clown on all of us.

12:42 I'm excited to meet everyone,

12:43 but also it makes me doubt myself in hearing their own level of excellence.

12:49 [applause] All right, folks.

12:52 Obviously, I'd like to welcome you here uh to the Great World Race.

12:55 Great to see so many faces in the room here.

12:58 These are very much events of uncertainty, but that is part of the adventure.

13:02 Antarctica is a really temperamental place from a weather perspective.

13:07 One day we can have perfectly sunny, clear skies, [music]

13:11 and the next day it can be an absolute blizzard.

13:13 The truth of Antarctica, of course,

13:15 there are plenty of ways you can get into serious trouble there.

13:18 The weather can change so drastically where it's just

13:20 absolutely terrible where we could get stuck there for days.

13:23 Of course, there is blue ice that you can slip on and easily break a leg.

13:27 is brutal.

13:27 There's crevasses you can fall down.

13:29 The darkness, the the brightness.

13:31 There's of course you can kind of get lost.

13:33 Everything there is yeah, designed to kill you.

13:37 People aren't supposed to be there.

13:39 The one thing to bear in mind with Antarctica is that the the ozone

13:42 layer is really thin and the UV really gets to you.

13:45 So, one of the things we will be using when

13:47 we get to Antarctica are things like glacier glasses because if

13:50 the UV is so strong down there and the reflection off

13:53 the snow so bright that snow blindness is a real issue.

13:56 So, arriving at Wolf's Fang, please guys, this is really, really important.

14:00 Don't venture out of the area where our teams are.

14:04 If you run off to have a wee in the snow,

14:07 we don't know what's going to happen over there.

14:10 Just looking around that room and feeling the tension and the nerves

14:13 in these people and seeing the fear on their faces,

14:16 this is a real undertaking and knowing that tomorrow

14:19 morning we're waking up and going to Antarctica,

14:21 you could see a lot of people are very worried about that.

14:27 Dear Great World Race participants,

14:29 due to changing weather conditions at Wolf's Fang,

14:31 we are adjusting the race schedule for safety reasons.

14:34 We will now run the Cape Town leg first.

14:38 So, the race hasn't even started yet and chaos has already ensued.

14:42 This race [music] historically always starts in Antarctica.

14:46 In theory, you want to race Antarctica on your freshest legs.

14:50 Now, we will be racing Antarctica after doing a full marathon in the same day.

14:55 So, we're basically going to do two marathons in one day.

14:58 And the second one is Antarctica.

15:00 [music] So, we called a last-minute crew meeting to go

15:03 through and revise the entire plan because tomorrow morning, [music]

15:06 I am running in Africa.

15:08 I'm basically running two marathons in 24 [music] hours tomorrow.

15:12 That was always the plan anyway.

15:13 I know, but now we have to do the harder one after the other one.

15:20 [music] I'm about to run two marathons in a row.

15:30 And I have never done that.

15:32 Every time I've run a single marathon, I have gone home,

15:35 had some ice cream, and laid down for many hours.

15:38 What do they say?

15:39 Challenge accepted?

15:48 Let's go.

15:49 It's the day.

15:50 Are you so excited?

15:53 I'm so excited.

15:54 What advice do you have First of seven, yeah.

15:58 I'd say really start off a little slower

15:59 and just feel out because you're going to lose

16:01 a lot today cuz it is going to heat up towards the back end of it.

16:04 Have fun.

16:05 Take it out slow, maybe find some running buddies, and I will.

16:08 just rock and roll.

16:09 Oh my gosh, this is so cool.

16:13 Cuz the change.

16:15 So, you did this so last minute?

16:17 I did midnight baking.

16:18 No way.

16:19 Wait, what's your name?

16:19 Sorry.

16:20 I'm Phoebe.

16:20 Phoebe, it's so nice to meet you.

16:23 Usually when we do a challenge,

16:25 I keep it all to myself until it's completely done.

16:27 And this time, I actually shared with community what we were doing day by day.

16:32 And people have actually come out.

16:34 Like this is so cool.

16:35 Thank you guys so much for coming out.

16:38 You are so kind.

16:39 We're we're so excited cuz originally we

16:41 were supposed to be in Antarctica today.

16:43 I felt like in many ways really alone doing a lot of this training by myself.

16:49 So, it just gave me this huge energy boost.

16:52 All right, we're going to get started here in the next minutes.

16:55 I'm feeling pretty nervous.

16:57 Like I can't believe it's actually about to happen.

17:04 Go get them.

17:06 All right, folks, the best of luck.

17:10 Three, two, one, go.

17:17 [cheering] [applause] So freaking sick, Oh my god.

17:27 So crazy.

17:29 [music] Okay, so this is a looped course, right?

17:31 So, we've got six 7K loops.

17:33 So, it's actually really easy feeding-wise cuz you've got two aid stations.

17:36 So, we've got a strategy where every time she comes through the start,

17:39 she takes this particular waffle that she [music] likes for eating.

17:43 Calories are going in perfectly and she's running

17:45 with a bottle that's got sodium and water in it.

17:48 So, the hydration's been taken care of all the time.

17:51 So, we've got a master plan based on her doing each loop

17:54 in about 40 minutes and then we'll just adjust as we go from there.

17:58 2 and 1/2 miles in.

18:00 Only 180-something left to go.

18:03 Just trying to stay in the zone and the headspace.

18:07 This is so different from a big city marathon

18:09 where there are like thousands of people going your pace.

18:13 You're just kind of by yourself out here.

18:16 In a way, when you're able to find a running buddy

18:18 who keeps you at a pace and pushes you a little bit,

18:21 there's a feeling of kind of being pulled along by their energy.

18:25 So, my goal for this is to find a running

18:28 buddy at my pace as quickly as I possibly can.

18:32 Hi, I'm Michelle.

18:33 You too.

18:34 And what's your name?

18:35 Jamie.

18:35 Jamie, I'm Michelle.

18:36 Nice to meet you.

18:37 Everybody, meet my friend Silvio.

18:39 Nice to meet you.

18:40 And luckily for me, we're going the same pace,

18:43 so now I have a buddy to run with.

18:45 We're doing it.

18:45 Hey, we are doing it.

18:47 But I'm finding that these moments are very short-lived.

18:50 Okay, see you in a bit.

18:52 I'll find someone, we'll run a couple miles together,

18:54 but for one reason or another, we eventually get separated.

18:58 I might need to slow down a bit.

18:59 Go ahead.

19:01 And I find myself [music] running alone again.

19:04 Right off the bat, I notice that pretty much no one is running at my pace.

19:08 And for those of you wondering,

19:10 my goal for this week is to run each marathon in 5 [music] hours or less.

19:15 Hey, I need a lead runner.

19:17 Let's go.

19:17 The majority of the world, if they start marathoning,

19:20 most people's goal is like, "I want to do sub four." And then,

19:23 there is other crazy folks that are like, "I need to go sub three." And I think

19:27 that's really like the the diamond the diamond standard.

19:30 So, my fastest marathon ever is around 2:27.

19:33 For the Great World Race, I don't think that really matters, to be honest.

19:36 It's a little bit out of my league, though.

19:38 Honestly, I think this is my best Cape Town marathon ever.

19:41 It was the first one this year, though, so take that with a grain of salt.

19:44 I came through at 2:58.

19:46 The overall volume of this race this year

19:49 is a little bit more nerve-wracking to me.

19:51 I feel like it's a big part of this race, right?

19:52 The uncertainty.

19:53 I was nervous going into this race because I've only

19:56 ever run two other marathons in my life before this.

20:00 The LA Marathon and an ultra [music] in Death Valley.

20:03 But in both instances,

20:05 I felt like I just scraped by because both times I hit the wall.

20:15 [snorts] So, one of the biggest things people worry about

20:18 with marathons in general is this concept of the wall.

20:23 The wall is the idea that at mile 20,

20:25 you sort of hit an energy block and you just can't go forwards.

20:29 Now, to me as a coach,

20:30 I know that that's mathematically nonsense because people run 100-mile races

20:34 and people here are going to be running seven marathons in 7 days.

20:37 So, the wall is just someone who runs too fast and doesn't fuel it correctly.

20:42 22 miles.

20:44 One left.

20:45 One to go.

20:46 One to go.

20:46 Scientifically, she's a high-carb burner.

20:49 She's going to go on to run four for the last 4 and 1/2 miles.

20:52 However, [music] to my surprise, it seems like Coach Garrett's master

20:57 calculus [music] math equation is actually working.

21:00 So, that's a huge win.

21:03 [music] Even though I'm going pretty slow.

21:04 Don't have any worries about Michelle hitting the wall at any point because

21:07 we had a fueling strategy that was based on science and her personal physiology.

21:11 Come on, Jackie.

21:13 One mile to go.

21:14 I'm not messing around anymore.

21:16 I posted a TikTok saying I was doing this challenge

21:19 and all the comments were saying I shouldn't do it.

21:22 We're about to finish one marathon.

21:24 Let's go.

21:26 No!

21:28 [cheering] Oh, home.

21:31 Oh my god.

21:32 Oh.

21:33 Thank you.

21:34 Oh my god.

21:39 One down, six to go.

21:41 Let's [screaming] go!

21:43 Congratulations, Michelle.

21:45 I got what I wanted, under five.

21:47 Very proud [music] of her.

21:48 She's got this one in the bag.

21:49 It's going to be a quick turnaround.

21:51 The concern is going to be getting through enough hydration.

21:55 Recovery is going to be [music] hard from this one.

21:56 While it's amazing that the incredible challenge

21:58 accepted community showed up for this race,

22:01 you gave me so much life every time I saw you.

22:04 I also can't become reliant on that energy for the races to come.

22:11 Cuz ain't nobody coming to Antarctica.

22:14 I feel like we're going to Antarctica right now.

22:17 That's so crazy.

22:19 I'm I'm sort of in disbelief that this is about to happen.

22:22 It is happening.

22:24 And you've done this Oh, yeah.

22:25 I did.

22:26 I did.

22:26 I did it 3 years ago.

22:27 How was the Antarctica?

22:29 It was so windy.

22:30 So windy.

22:31 I thought I was going to fly away from the Dude,

22:35 I don't know what everyone else is on, but I

22:39 need some of it because everyone is so chipper and normal.

22:43 You would never guess this group ran a marathon.

22:46 Except for me.

22:47 I think it's obvious.

22:58 [music] This is so surreal.

23:05 It almost feels like we're going to an alien planet.

23:16 Antarctica always has the the possibility for being

23:20 the most challenging [music] segment of the entire race.

23:23 There's a time limit for every single race, Antarctica being the most brutal.

23:26 I think it's always in the back [music] of everybody's mind.

23:29 The plane only touches down for 8 hours.

23:31 So, you have 8 hours to complete the whole race.

23:42 [music] The plane lands.

23:57 Oh my god.

23:59 It's absolute chaos.

24:09 I'm already freaking out wondering where is my stuff?

24:12 Did I eat enough?

24:13 And I'm also kind of looking at what everybody else is wearing.

24:16 Did I pack enough?

24:17 Oh my god.

24:48 Thank you.

25:03 [music] This is so crazy.

25:08 There's like a perpetual sunset happening.

25:11 It's beautiful.

25:13 We literally just landed on an ice runway to run our second marathon of seven.

25:20 My goal is still to try to get in around 5 hours.

25:24 I don't know how that's going to go on this ice.

25:26 Oh my god.

25:27 Oh my god, it's so cold.

25:28 Like instantly.

25:30 Like instantly, it's you cold.

25:32 I just want to get through it and enjoy it while it lasts.

25:36 Oh, we're moving.

26:05 I just feel like I look crazy.

26:07 Like I none of my tail on correctly.

26:10 This is really intense.

26:12 Jackie.

26:13 How are you doing?

26:15 Cold.

26:15 Yeah.

26:16 Running on this will be very interesting.

26:18 What did we sign up for?

26:20 I know.

26:21 That's part of the adventure, right?

26:28 [music] Is this happening so fast?

26:30 Like we've been here for 5 minutes.

26:34 What is it, minus 12?

26:36 Minus 12 Celsius.

26:38 Hey, it's warmer than the freezer.

26:40 That's That's a win.

26:42 Guys, please all huddle up close.

26:44 Guys, fire for a second.

26:46 It's a very simple course.

26:47 There's going to be plenty people out on the course guiding you to the goal.

26:50 Stay focused.

26:51 Very, very cold out there.

26:52 Hey, so this is Yeah, it is.

26:58 [laughter] Round two.

26:58 Round two.

26:59 Go get it.

26:59 Start slow.

27:00 Start slow.

27:01 Don't worry about the fuel.

27:02 [music] Just take whatever you get.

27:03 Start with just breathing.

27:05 Three.

27:05 Two.

27:06 One.

27:07 Go!

27:14 Antarctica marathon, let's go!

27:19 [music] [music] Oh my god.

27:39 So cold.

27:40 It's so late.

27:41 I have no idea how my legs are moving right now.

27:45 The truth is, this isn't really day two.

27:47 This is a marathon that's being done 14 hours after the other marathon.

27:51 But it's not just any old marathon, it's a marathon on the ice.

27:54 So, the underfoot conditions are very tough.

27:56 And it's cold and it's windy and the conditions are rough.

27:59 So, there's a lot of things to bear in mind there and also to overcome mentally.

28:03 Oh, my fleece is frozen.

28:09 [crying]

28:14 We were really worried about things like fluids

28:17 and gels freezing cuz it's just been so cold.

28:19 So, we worked out that if Michelle kept the gels against her body,

28:22 against her skin instead, they'd stay warm.

28:24 All right.

28:26 Thirsty or gel?

28:29 Gel.

28:30 All right.

28:30 There you go.

28:33 So, she's um doing great.

28:34 A bit slower than the earlier marathon,

28:36 but the conditions are so much harder to run in.

28:38 So, she's got to be a bit more careful.

28:40 How many laps is it?

28:41 Nine?

28:42 10.

28:42 10.

28:44 One down, nine to go.

28:48 One mile is better.

28:49 I just took a 5-minute break.

28:51 Oh, that's nice.

28:54 I try to do it between laps.

28:56 You done all right?

28:58 This is tough.

28:59 Yeah.

29:01 It's easier to do one mile run with you for a little bit.

29:03 Oh, thank you.

29:07 [music] [music] Hi, my name's Tark.

29:14 I'm number 62 running [music] the Great World Race

29:17 the second year in a row wearing this tuxedo.

29:21 Hey, we're still wearing the tuxedo, baby.

29:25 At the time, I didn't really know who Michelle was.

29:26 My daughter, Lex, told me, she's like, "Oh,

29:29 you're running with Michelle." I was like, "No.

29:31 I've done this race before.

29:32 Michelle's running with me." Come on.

29:36 We're on lap three now?

29:38 Yeah.

29:39 Oh, come on.

29:41 The way it worked, I would run [music] in front of Michelle to block the wind.

29:45 Then we would trade.

29:47 And so, we [music] would do that on every lap.

29:49 Like, okay, you take it this lap, then I'll take it this lap.

29:52 And we worked as a team.

29:54 After the Cape Town Marathon, my mission became to find a running buddy.

29:58 And luckily, I meet Tarek.

30:02 Tarek has been so kind.

30:04 What's up?

30:05 Inspirational words of wisdom.

30:08 We've been running together, so it's been good.

30:11 It's been good.

30:11 A little duo through Antarctica.

30:14 Our plan for Antarctica is to strategically warm up at each of the aid stations.

30:19 However, the clock is ticking.

30:21 Every minute you take to warm up is

30:23 a minute less you have to cross the finish line.

30:25 Oh, it is brutal.

30:27 Dude, it's only getting colder.

30:30 Tarek has been so kind to like pace me.

30:32 Ready?

30:33 No, but we're doing it anyways, right?

30:38 Tarek is keeping me alive.

30:41 We got this.

30:42 8 miles down, 7 left to go.

30:45 Come on.

30:46 That rest stop is a game changer.

30:47 It is.

30:48 I'm doing a lot better now.

30:50 You got me a question earlier.

30:53 How do you get through this?

30:56 Purpose has to be bigger than the pain.

30:59 You get through it.

31:00 Yeah.

31:02 What's yours?

31:04 Mine is uh when you understand how bad it is for men's mental health.

31:11 I wore a tuxedo for the Great World Race

31:14 2025 [music] to bring awareness to men's mental health.

31:17 The study is a man commits suicide about every 60 seconds.

31:23 The tux represents a facade.

31:27 When you look at another man, when you look at someone,

31:29 [music] and you think they got it all

31:31 going on, like everything's going great for them.

31:34 The reality is you have no idea what they're going [music] through,

31:36 either mentally or emotionally.

31:38 My philosophy has been,

31:40 if [music] we can bring awareness to men's mental health,

31:42 I can change one person's life by wearing

31:45 a tux for 7 days [music] running a marathon, then I think I've done a good job.

31:53 What about you?

31:55 Well, this is something I saw and I said,

31:59 "I don't know if I can do that." It sounds so crazy.

32:04 So, I thought I'd try it.

32:07 After today, I will be Focus on the What's your favorite place?

32:13 Talk to me about your favorite place in Miami.

32:15 Oh, Miami.

32:17 Come on.

32:18 It'll bring tears to your eyes.

32:20 I don't want to cry right now.

32:21 It'll freeze to my face.

32:26 You know, she's super determined.

32:30 She's just like, "Get this done.

32:31 Really get it done by the cut-off." I mean,

32:33 it's 8 hours [music] from the start, the plane is leaving, no matter what.

32:37 So, it's about It's about that, really, getting it done.

32:39 Only one outcome.

32:41 Me and Tarek finishing this thing.

32:44 So grateful for you, Tarek.

32:47 Thank you.

32:48 You're welcome.

32:49 A lot of people give up.

32:58 [music] Oh, man.

33:04 It is brutal.

33:05 This is lap four.

33:07 The wind's like 25 knots.

33:09 It's -23 Celsius.

33:12 Freaking cold.

33:15 But we got this.

33:16 How are you feeling, Michelle?

33:16 We do.

33:18 Come on.

33:18 Oh, yeah.

33:19 I'm catching up, Tarek.

33:20 Let's go.

33:21 Here's David.

33:22 Go, David.

33:24 I came in at 3:55 this [music] year.

33:26 It was over an hour slower than than last year,

33:28 so you can tell how brutal the conditions were.

33:31 That one you earned.

33:32 I felt my tongue getting frozen to it.

33:35 [laughter] Oh, it's all worth it to be in this uh amazing place.

33:41 It's just such a privilege.

33:42 Can't smile.

33:43 My face is frozen.

33:45 It's a privilege to go through this brutality.

33:47 [music] Amazing.

34:00 Good to meet you, yeah?

34:00 Yeah.

34:01 I'm going to keep this one pretty short.

34:03 Yeah.

34:04 I want to get back out there.

34:05 Just want to get this done.

34:07 So, you're not getting deep conversation out there, are you?

34:11 I'm just deep conversation with God.

34:15 This just doesn't end.

34:18 [laughter] Like, what the heck?

34:20 Just like we're in [laughter] hell.

34:24 I thought you were talking to God.

34:26 Yeah.

34:29 [laughter]

34:27 And God said, "You're in hell." Dude, this is going to be like heaven now.

34:33 We're going to get so much recovery.

34:34 I'm so jealous of you guys.

34:39 [laughter] Congrats.

34:39 I think what was so inspiring to me was everybody that just grinded it out,

34:43 but it's especially Michelle.

34:45 You're kicking ass.

34:46 Okay.

34:47 You're kicking ass, for sure.

34:48 Just watching her like warm up for a second and then

34:50 get back out there and just grind through it all.

34:53 I think that's where it set the tone where I was like, "Okay,

34:55 like Michelle's going to kick this thing's ass." Like, she is [music] tough.

35:08 So, I'm watching Michelle do these laps running around the ice here,

35:11 and everything's going well, but there's a cut-off time,

35:14 and she's slowing down, and she's getting really emotional.

35:17 She was running with Tarek for quite a long time,

35:19 and Tarek was going through a tough patch.

35:22 Tarek.

35:24 Come on, Tarek.

35:25 Come on.

35:26 Stay with me.

35:28 When you have been through something as crazy as this in a partnership,

35:33 it's devastating [music] to have to move forward without them.

35:37 Go slower.

35:39 You have to keep moving.

35:40 We're not going to make the cut-off.

35:42 You're looking around, and I see these vehicles.

35:46 I see a lot of movement.

35:50 We're at a point in the race where [music] they are starting

35:52 to pick people up in the sled if they're not going fast enough.

35:56 And they were being escorted [music] to the plane.

35:58 And in that moment, like fear sets in.

36:02 Having to walk quite a bit on this lap.

36:06 Just feels like it's never-ending.

36:09 I just like thrown my goal pace and time and heart rate out the window.

36:14 I just At this point, [music] I have to make a critical decision.

36:18 Wait for Tarek, or do I go?

36:22 I knew for my own race, if I waited any longer,

36:26 I would start to cool [music] down.

36:27 I would start to freeze in the environment, and I might not finish the race.

36:32 And at the end of the day,

36:34 the goal for our team was cross all seven finish lines.

36:39 And so, I had to continue on without Tarek.

36:44 We're at the part where we're crying.

36:47 By we, I mean me.

36:48 Oh [laughter] my god.

36:52 How does everyone do it except for me?

36:57 It feels like it.

37:03 [laughter] I just feel like I'm by myself out here.

37:07 You got this, Michelle.

37:09 You got this.

37:10 You're actually going to do it in a really good time.

37:12 Okay.

37:13 You actually are.

37:15 [crying] You got this?

37:17 Yeah, I do.

37:19 You got this, Michelle.

37:20 Okay.

37:22 [laughter] I'm so proud of you.

37:22 Thank you, Garrett.

37:24 You mean so much.

37:25 I'm going to leave you here.

37:28 You're going to cross.

37:33 It's absolutely haunting being the only person I can see within my vision.

37:38 I'm completely by myself.

37:39 I'm praying I'm on course.

37:40 I have no idea I am.

37:42 My watch is dead.

37:43 My shoes keep slipping.

37:45 I think Tarek is somewhere [music] behind me, but I can't see him,

37:48 and if I stop to check, I will get picked up and left behind.

37:52 People ask me all the time,

37:54 "What is the hardest challenge you've ever done?" Now,

37:57 I have a very clear [music] answer.

38:00 It is today.

38:02 But I keep trying to remind myself what David

38:04 [music] said to me just a few months ago.

38:06 To pause for a moment and just take it all in.

38:10 So many people don't ever get to experience a place like Antarctica,

38:14 and it's so untouched, it's so raw, it's so brutal, but I think that's also what

38:20 makes it really special to [music] be out there, though.

38:23 I'll probably never get the chance to be here again.

38:27 [music] That's what I keep telling myself over and over.

38:29 Because at this point, it's all I have left to go.

38:32 Let's go.

38:38 Thank you.

38:40 Thank you so Well done, [music] you.

38:47 [laughter] What a champion.

38:47 What a champion.

38:48 How do you do it so fast?

38:52 [laughter] How are you doing it so fast?

38:55 [music] You're so good.

38:56 You did your marathon in 8 hours.

38:57 It's incredible.

38:58 You're so tough.

39:01 Oh my god.

39:03 I'm falling forever.

39:05 It's done.

39:06 It's done.

39:08 It's accomplished.

39:09 You done?

39:09 It's done.

39:10 But this one was the hard one.

39:11 This is the one that It's done.

39:13 It's done.

39:16 [crying] Well done.

39:20 You did it.

39:22 You did it.

39:23 How Oh, how are you feeling?

39:27 [crying] I'm so happy.

39:29 Thank you so much, You're welcome.

39:31 You're welcome.

39:32 You're welcome.

39:33 You did it.

39:34 You crushed it.

39:35 Yeah, so did you.

39:36 Way to go.

39:37 Yes.

39:38 Way to go, Michelle.

39:39 Finally, when I cross the finish line and have

39:42 a moment to soak it in, 1 second later they say,

39:46 "Grab your things and get on the plane."

39:48 I had no opportunity [music] to celebrate.

39:51 I'm not even able to change clothes, go to the bathroom,

39:55 get any of the beautiful catering that I

39:57 watched everyone else eat for the past 3 hours.

40:00 The Great World Race continues.

40:03 Next time on The Great World Race.

40:08 [music] Cheers.

40:08 Getting on a PJ in your PJs?

40:10 It's like a party in the sky, honestly.

40:11 This is how we fly.

40:13 Do you think any of the marathons are going to be harder than Antarctica?

40:15 Cuz I've heard Hurst is supposed to be night.

40:18 Change up.

40:18 I'll be struggling with the heat.

40:21 The heat is at its absolute max.

40:24 You're melting.

40:24 [music] You could just see terror on people's faces.

40:27 I'm really feeling it today.

40:30 The inside of my knee hurts pretty bad.

40:32 I can't even run.

40:34 Breaking news.

40:35 Attempting seven marathons on all seven continents in 1 week is extremely hard.

40:41 My name is Dan Little.

40:42 I am 83 years old.

40:45 Dan, have you done this before?

40:48 This is my fourth time.