by Sam Hawcroft
Hedon endurance runner Mike Humphreys has passed a staggering 10,000km on his epic run across South America – and surpassed an existing world record by completing 163 consecutive 50km ultramarathons.
The challenge, which at the time of going to press has seen him cover 10,650km (6,617.5 miles) over 215 days, is raising awareness of motor neurone disease (MND), with donations approaching £20,000.
But while Mike has exceeded the existing Guinness World Record of 100 consecutive days running an ultramarathon distance, the achievement has yet to be officially verified, with the runner concentrating on the mammoth task still ahead of him before submitting his evidence.
The extraordinary challenge is deeply personal for Mike, who is running in support of his friend Craig Eskrett, who is living with MND, and in memory of another friend, Carl Giblin, who died from the disease around eight years ago.
Mike, 39, said: “I want to make one thing absolutely clear. Craig has been at the very heart of this entire world-record attempt.
“Without Craig’s courage, his strength and his incredible bravery in the face of motor neurone disease, I genuinely don’t believe I would have achieved what I have.
“Watching Craig face something so cruel, with a courage that is difficult to put into words, has inspired me every single day.
“When I’ve been exhausted, when I’ve wanted to stop, when the physical and mental challenges have felt impossible, I’ve thought about Craig.”
Mike began his journey in Ushuaia, at the southern tip of Argentina, and is aiming to become the first person to run the length of South America on his chosen route, finishing in Colombia.
The scale of the challenge has been immense, with Mike battling altitude sickness, punishing terrain, extreme weather and countless logistical problems.
For weeks he ran across the Altiplano, a vast high-altitude plateau in the Andes, regularly reaching heights of between 3,500m and 4,500m.
He also tackled Peru’s Rainbow Mountain, reaching more than 5,000m above sea level shortly after a snowstorm had driven tourists away.
“It was a really special moment after running all the way from Ushuaia,” he said.
But there have also been frightening experiences, including an earthquake while Mike and his support driver Juan were sleeping in their camper van near Cusco.
“The van was shaking from side to side so vigorously I thought it was going to tip up,” he said.
Initially believing a group of people were rocking the vehicle, Mike shouted at them to stop before Juan realised what was happening.
Heavy rain, landslides and flash floods subsequently forced the closure of the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu, putting paid to Mike’s hopes of visiting the famous site.
He has also faced mechanical problems with the support van, sometimes hundreds of miles from a suitable garage.
Despite everything, he has continued running without a rest day.
His 50km streak began on day 53, once reliable support was in place, after earlier difficulties had prevented him from consistently completing that distance.
Mike said he had recorded his daily runs using a GPS watch and video footage, but had struggled to make contact with Guinness World Records to have the achievement verified.
He said: “I’ve got all the evidence I need to verify it. It’s just something I need to sit down and obviously send all the documents over.
“I’m just trying to survive this section, which is a bit wild.
“It’s not been confirmed by Guinness. I’m sure it can be. But I’m not doing it for world records – I’m just doing it for Craig.”
Mike also explained that his social media updates were deliberately posted a few days behind his actual progress for safety reasons, meaning his mileage and ultramarathon total may already have increased by the time supporters see them.
The runner, who has previously completed 30 marathons in 30 days across Europe, ridden a Raleigh Chopper from Hull to the French Alps and run the Paris Marathon in ski boots, hopes his latest extraordinary feat will help put MND firmly in the spotlight.
He said Craig had endured a particularly difficult period with his illness, adding: “I’m really just wanting to bring that hope and do my best to put a spotlight on motor neurone disease and bring as many donations as possible.”
Donations can be made at givestar.io/gs/mikes-mnd-challenges.
