Jacky Hunt-Broersma is enjoying a well-earned rest. Last week, the amputee athlete achieved her goal of running 102 marathons in as many days, setting an unofficial women’s world record.
And she didn't stop there, running two more for good measure to wrap up her challenge on the last day of April – having run 104 marathons in 104 days.
“I might as well end April with a marathon,” she said.
“I’m just happy that I made it – I can’t believe it.
“The best thing was the incredible support I’ve received from people around the world who’ve reached out, telling me how this has inspired them to push themselves.”
Hunt-Broersma, 46, began her quest on January 17, covering the classic 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometre) marathon distance on a loop course laid out near her home in Gilbert, Arizona, or on a treadmill indoors. Since then, it's been “rinse and repeat” every day for the South Africa native, who lost her left leg below the knee to a rare cancer and runs on a carbon-fibre prosthesis.
Her original goal was to run 100 marathons in 100 days so she'd beat the record of 95 set in 2020 by Alyssa Amos Clark, a nondisabled runner from Bennington, Vermont, who took it on as a pandemic coping strategy. But earlier this month, after nondisabled British runner Kate Jayden unofficially broke Clark's record with 101 marathons in 101 days, Hunt-Broersma realized she'd need to run at least 102.
On foot, day in and day out, she's covered 2672 miles (4300km) – the equivalent of running from her Phoenix suburb to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, or from New York City to Mexico City.
Along the way, Hunt-Broersma gained a huge social media following and raised nearly $27,000 to help fellow amputee blade runners get the expensive prostheses they need. Health insurance typically doesn't cover the cost, which can exceed $10,000.
Hunt-Broersma, who ran her 92nd at this month's Boston Marathon, hopes her quest will inspire people everywhere to push themselves to do hard things.
What's next for the endurance athlete? A 240-mile (386km) ultra race to be staged over mountainous terrain in October in Moab, Utah.