Camille Herron has smashed five records at Lululemon’s 6-day race, and she’s not done yet
Herron is well on her way to blasting through the overall world 6-day record of 1,036 kilometres
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U.S. ultrarunning champ Camille Herron is rewriting the ultra-distance record book at FURTHER, the first-ever 6-day race for women, hosted by Lululemon—charging through record after record, with a few more in her sights. Herron is chasing the overall 6-day world best of 1,036 kilometres (set by the legendary Yiannis Kouros of Greece in 2005), and is putting on a clinic on her way there, with one American record and four world records set at the five-day mark.
Camille Herron, Mirna Valerio kick off first-ever women’s 6-day race
The race, held on a 4.1-km certified looped course in La Quinta, Calif., is part of Lululemon’s FURTHER initiative, which the brand says is dedicated to “showcasing just how far women can go with support and access to resources and product innovations typically reserved for men.” A group of 10 diverse athletes with differing individual goals toed the line on Wednesday and will run until March 12—144 hours in total.
During a 6-day event, runners can take breaks to eat, sleep or accept aid from their crew (off of the track) at any point, and aren’t required to run a set time or distance per day—time spent resting will be unique to each athlete and will depend on their individual needs and goals.
Herron began capturing records at the 48-hour mark, when she set a new American women’s open road record, covering 398.6 kilometres. At 72 hours, she blasted through the women’s world record, running 550.5 kilometres (exceeding the previous record of 505.6 kilometres).
Next record to be smashed is the Women’s World 600k Record!!!
Previously stood at 4 days and 56 minutes.
Camille crossed the mark at 3 days, 9 hours and 23 minutes
(Pending ratification)#FURTHER#lululemonfurther pic.twitter.com/wtGkh6VdWG— Camille Herron 🦸♀️ (@runcamille) March 10, 2024
Herron then shattered the women’s world 300-mile record, completing the gruelling distance in an awe-inspiring time of two days, 11 hours, 54 minutes and 28 seconds. Adding another feather to her cap, she set a new women’s world record for 500 kilometres, in two days, 14 hours, and 45 seconds (surpassing the previously held record by more than eight hours). Herron didn’t stop there, setting a new 600-kilometre record in three days, nine hours and 23 minutes.
Pre-race, Herron, who has a background in sports science, praised Lululemon’s research goals and support. “I’m truly grateful that someone cares, appreciates, and wants to celebrate us [women],” she posted on Instagram. “I hope the world appreciates the initiative too, how it will help open up more interest in studying women athletes across the lifespan, and learn more about what makes us hard-wired for ultra-endurance.”
The FURTHER group of athletes all approached the race with differing goals. On the Lululemon website, pro runner and surgeon Stefanie Flippin says she aims to support her body and her teammates along the way, and author and inclusivity activist Mirna Valerio says her goal is to “clock 12 hours of joyful running per day.”
Renowned ultrarunner Leah Yingling is in second place on day five, with 418 kilometres at the 95-hour mark. The runners have just under 50 hours (out of 144) to go.
Check out all the athletes at FURTHER and follow the live tracking here.
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