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Polish runner speeds to new 12-hour world record

Dominika Stelmach ran 152.63 kilometres in 12 hours, averaging 4:44 minutes per kilometre

Dominika Stelmach 12 hour record 2023 Photo by: Spartanion Race

Poland’s Dominika Stelmach started 2023 off on a high note. The accomplished endurance athlete, 40, ran 152.633 kilometres (94.841 miles) on Thursday, Jan. 5, at the Spartanion race in Tel Aviv, Israel, setting a new women’s world record (pending ratification).

The Spartanion race was created for athletes in Israel to have a close-to-home setting to achieve hit the criteria necessary to enter Spartathlon, the world-renowned 246-kilometre race held annually in Greece between Athens and Sparti, the modern town on the site of ancient Sparta. Spartanion earned some global fame in 2022 when Lithuanian ultrarunner Aleksandr Sorokin broke his own 12-hour and 100-mile records on the course, a fast flat loop in a park. 

Dominika Stelmach 12 hour record 2023
Photo: The Spartanion Race

Stelmach made it clear from the outset that she was going after American endurance phenom Camille Herron’s former world record of 149.130 kilometers (92.665 miles) that she ran at the 2017 edition of Desert Solstice Invitational.  Stelmach, who also coaches and runs training camps, has an impressive ultrarunning resume, winning the challenging 2021 Cappadocia Ultra-Trail 120K and taking a close second at the 2022 Black Canyon Ultra. She holds the European 50-mile record of 5:51:58.

Dominika Stelmach 12 hour record 2023
Photo: The Spartanion Race

Stelmach shared her record-breaking experience on social media–including both highs and lows. While the athlete was dealing with the onset of her period and “obligatory (every 2 hours) toilet visits” had her slightly out of rhythm, she still shared that for the first 75K she was “running great, at ease.” After 75 kilometres she dealt with some overheating and stomach issues but ultimately pushed through any discomfort to take the 12-hour record.

Stelmach had originally been entered in the 24-hour event, but says she opted to stop when one of her two sons leaped into her arms. “It’s a beautiful start to the year,” she shared. The athlete has already shared her plans for Comrades Marathon and UTMB in 2023, and she’ll certainly have a new legion of fans cheering her on.

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