Belgian ultrarunner breaks incredible multi-day world record
Matthieu Bonne of Belgium broke Yiannis Kouros’s legendary six-day record, running 1046.2 kilometres in 144 hours
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GOMU-EMU 6-Day World Championships
On Tuesday, Belgian ultrarunner Matthieu Bonne set a new world record at the 2024 GOMU-EMU 6-Day World Championships in Hungary, covering 1,046.29 kilometres (650 miles) over 144 hours to surpass Yiannis Kouros’s historic mark of 1,036.80 kilometres, which had stood for two decades.
Bonne set out with the goal of achieving the record, averaging 7.2 km/h over the six-day race, breaking the record with just an hour left and adding an additional 10 kilometres. He completed 1,164 loops of the 900-metre course—and, remarkably, he was trailing Kouros’s pace until the final day, when he surged after 120 hours of running to secure the record.
The race, which began on Sept. 5, took place on a flat, paved 900-metre course. Day four featured heavy rain. The Belgian also achieved the fastest 600-mile split in history, reaching the mark in five days, 12 hours, 27 minutes and 12 seconds.
Belgium has a new World Record !
Congrats to Matthieu Bonne for new World Champion title and new World Record Holder in the 6 Days Race !!!
Finishing his race with a staggering 1046km – almost ten kilometres more than previous record !
Cheers to you dear Matthieu !!! pic.twitter.com/VjNwjSMEzu
— Made in Belgium (@MIB_BelgiumMade) September 12, 2024
Bonne’s six-day performance is recognized as a world best by the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU), the primary governing body for ultrarunning, but not as a world record. Instead, world records for multi-day ultramarathon events are tracked by the Global Organization of Multi-Day Ultramarathoners (GOMU). The records are pending ratification.
According to iRunFar, in addition to this achievement, Bonne has completed the Marathon des Sables and boasts accolades in open-water swimming, including crossing the English Channel and navigating Belgium’s coastline.
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