When it comes to distance running, that can mean several things, depending on your running focus. It can mean something like a 3000 meter race (for track and field) but also goes up to the marathon. Past the marathon, we have “ultra” distances – or, ultra marathons – and these races are really getting into some serious “distance” amounts! Well-known runner Camille Herron absolutely crushed the 48 hour running record this past weekend for some serious “distance”!
Incredible 48 Hour Record Set
For those that are not familiar with time races like this, there are many standard hour events that are typically run on a 400 meter track or some kind of loop course (to easily calculate the distance and the exact distance most effectively). These events are like 6 hour, 12 hour, 24 hour, and 48 hour events. They even have races that go beyond the 48 hour mark!
This particular race took place in Australia and was on a 400 meter track. For 48 hours, runners would run as many loops as they could. Runners are free to take naps, breaks, whatever they want during the race – the clock just keeps ticking.
That was tough 😅. pic.twitter.com/sr3iVgvf6W
— Camille Herron (@runcamille) March 27, 2023
In this race, Camille Herron, possessor of the women’s 100 mile record time, 12 hour distance, and 24 hour distance, set a new world record for women for the distance covered over 48 hours. It was so incredible that there are actually only 2 men that have run more miles in 48 hours than she did (and she did win this 48 hour race as well – beating the second place finisher – a man – by 88 miles!).
Before the race, she had told Runner’s World that she planned to take a couple of 6-8 minute naps in the first 24 hours. Remember that, as well as the fact that she had to take breaks for nutrition, bathroom breaks, equipment, etc, when you see how far she ran in 48 hours.
Her new world record for the most miles by a woman in 48 hours is 270.5 miles! Also, this is an American record for this distance – for men and women! That is 15.5 miles further than the previous record, set this past February. This distance translates to an AVERAGE pace of 10 minutes and 39 seconds per mile for the entire 48 hour race. This included those other stops and a 40 minute nap or so. So, her running pace was obviously faster than that. According to her watch’s data, her best mile was 7 minutes and 47 seconds per mile.
She covered 148 miles in the first 24 hours, hitting 100 miles in 14 hours and 45 minutes. Her overall distance and time is equivalent to running a marathon in a little over 4 hours and 30 minutes – and then doing 9 more marathons at the same pace!
This is simply an unbelievable world record and yet another one that Camille now holds. Oh, don’t forget that she ran 1,088 laps of this track. 🙂 I once ran over 1,300 tiny loops in my backyard during my Covid marathon and that was just for 5 hours and 26.2 miles. I cannot imagine covering 1,088 400 meter laps for 48 hours!
