Everybody Wants To Run The World!
World Marathon Challenge
Sally Orange is an endurance runner, adventurer, mental health campaigner, and an amazing Ambassador for Marathon Kids UK. In February 2023, Sally will be taking on one of the biggest challenges of her life, the World Marathon Challenge, also known as the 777. 7 marathons. 7 continents. 7 days.
But Sally is no stranger to pushing herself. She holds multiple Guinness World Records and world firsts, having run over 70 marathons and completed 8 full Ironman triathlons. She captained the first British female team to complete the relentless Race Across America, the world’s toughest cycle race and has also run the toughest footrace on earth, the Marathon des Sables.
Add cycling the length of New Zealand, swimming the English Channel relay, climbing several 6000m+ mountains in Nepal and Bolivia and skiing 250km across the largest plateau in the Arctic Circle and you will start to understand what kind of super human Sally really is! And she does nearly all of her challenges dressed as a different piece of fruit or veg. This is her way of opening up the conversation on mental health.
The World Marathon Challenge is a logistical and physical challenge to run seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. Competitors are challenged to run the standard 42.2 km marathon distance with the first marathon in Novo (Antarctica) and is followed by marathons in Cape Town (Africa), Perth (Australia), Dubai (Asia), Madrid (Europe), Fortaleza (South America) and Miami (North America).
But what inspires someone to take on a challenge like this?
We asked Sally what inspires her!
“There are so many people in this world that are much less fortunate than I am and find themselves in very difficult situations.
By raising money for charities such as Marathon Kids UK, it helps to make a small difference in the lives of those who need it the most.
Like anything in life, once we achieve something, big or small, we know we can do it and so we push ourselves further to help us grow. It also has a secondary gain to inspire others to believe if I can do it, they too might just give something difficult a go and realise they are more capable than they ever thought they were.”
We also asked Sally what kind of training she is doing to be ready for this incredible challenge?
“This challenge is going to be just as much of a mental challenge as a physical one and so I have been working with a coach to focus on strengthening the way I can combat negative thoughts when they rear their ugly head.
This way, when I really need to dig deep and my mind is telling me that it’s finding things really tough, I will be well practiced.
I’ve also been using flotation therapy to help with rest and recovery of my muscles whilst allowing me to switch off my mind at the same time.
Because of a recent foot injury, I haven’t been able to run as much as I would have liked to, so I’ve been doing a lot of walking instead.
I’ve also been concentrating on strengthening my core and leg muscles.“
Lastly we asked Sally, what is she most looking forward to about this challenge, and what she is not looking forward to?
“I’m really looking forward to hopefully seeing lots of Marathon Kids US children in Miami as well as some of the Marathon Kids UK team in Madrid. I don’t think you can ever underestimate the power of support and especially on a challenge of this magnitude. It will be great to see some friendly faces and hopefully they may even run some of the way with me.”
“The main thing I’m really not looking forward to is the lack of sleep!
I really need my sleep and struggle mentally when I don’t get enough. It would be natural to think you would sleep really well after running a marathon, but for some reason, I don’t at all. On top of this, I won’t be able to have a nice relaxing bubble bath or a comfortable bed to sleep in each night, so it’s going to be a real challenge. I’m not very good at sleeping on an aeroplane at the best of times, but as this will be my hotel for the week, I’ll have to give it my best shot. That’s where I’m hoping some of the relaxation techniques I’ve been practicing will help.”
Follow Sally’s journey on her Instagram HERE
Donate to Sally’s fundraiser HERE
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