He ran marathons in every country in less than two years 3:57
(CNN) --
For some runners, the prospect of running a 26-mile marathon is challenging enough.
But getting up the next day and running another, and repeating the routine for the next three and a half months, requires a particular mix of stamina, dedication, and what some would call insanity.
At least, that's what Jacky Hunt-Broersma, an amputee endurance runner living in Arizona, might have thought before taking up the sport nearly six years ago.
"I wasn't a runner before I was an amputee," she tells CNN Sport, "I thought runners were crazy... But little by little I got addicted to this sport."
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In 2022, the 46-year-old Hunt-Broersma has just completed the feat of running 104 marathons in 104 consecutive days between January and April.
At first he set out to run 100 marathons in 100 days, but he began the challenge with several unknowns: "Will my stump be able to withstand the kilometers? Will my prosthesis withstand it?", but as the weeks went by he was surprised itself over and over again.
"I didn't know how my body would react, and that showed me how strong our bodies can be," says Hunt-Broersma.
"Each day, I kept going and got stronger and stronger...the body is just amazing."
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Hunt-Broersma runs her 102nd marathon in 102 days in Arizona.
The challenge turned out to be "90% mental vs. physical."
Mustering up the motivation to head out the door each day and run the marathon distance was often the biggest battle.
"You never knew what the day would bring," adds Hunt-Broersma.
"It was like...going with the flow a little bit. Some days, you just have to do it, hang in there and (put) one foot in front of the other and keep going, and other days you feel great and it's like you're flying."
ups and downs
Hunt-Broersma ran most of the marathons around her home in Gilbert, Arizona, did a few on a treadmill, and participated in the Boston Marathon in its 92nd edition.
Racing on the streets of Boston was one of the high points of the challenge, but there were also many low points, particularly at the 50-marathon mark, when the thought of quitting crossed his mind.
"It was a strange moment because physically I felt good," says Hunt-Broersma.
"My body obviously hurt and all that, but there was nothing wrong with it, it was just my mind that didn't want any more."
"I had to fight those emotions to get past it and say, 'You know what, no, you can still do it. You can move on.' 100".
Hunt-Broersma is waiting to see if her consecutive marathon record attempt is confirmed.
Before that, there was another low point 15 days earlier, when she decided to split her daily run into two half-marathons to have time to care for her children.
But after people questioned whether splitting a marathon was within the "rules" of the challenge, Hunt-Broersma felt she had no choice but to run another full marathon that night, ultimately completing it five minutes before midnight.
"I didn't want to get to 100 and then be told, 'Well, that doesn't really count.' I'd be embarrassed," she says.
"So I was like, 'Okay, okay, you know what? I'm going to have to go out there and do this.' ".
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Since completing her 104th marathon, Hunt-Broersma has begun the process of applying to have her feat officially recognized by Guinness World Records, as the current record of 95 was set by American Alyssa Clark in 2020.
Getting a record ratified is not easy.
The months-long process involves submitting GPX files from each race, start, halfway and finish photos, video footage and a witness report.
"That process is probably more difficult than the race part, to be honest," Hunt-Broersma jokingly suggests.
a feeling of freedom
Born and raised in South Africa, Hunt-Broersma lived in England and the Netherlands before moving to the United States.
In 2001, his leg was amputated after he was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that affects the bones or the tissue that surrounds them.
Thanks to the practice of running, which he resumed 15 years later, he began to appreciate what his body was really capable of doing.
Hunt-Broersma is training for two ultramarathons this year.
"When I became an amputee, you limit yourself so much; everybody tells you, 'You can't do this, you can't do that,'" says Hunt-Broersma.
"And then when I put on a running prosthesis, I had a sense of freedom. I felt like I was flying and doing something I thought I couldn't do."
He started with 5K races and soon progressed to distances: 10k, half marathons, marathons and now ultramarathons.
He is currently training to compete in the Leadville 100, a 100-mile or 160-kilometer race in Leadville, Colorado known as "Race Across The Sky" in August, and the Moab 240, a 380-kilometer race through deserts. , rocks and mountains of Utah, in October.
Competing in these iconic endurance events is a far cry from the days when Hunt-Broersma started racing.
"There was an element where I felt ashamed of who I was," she says.
"I didn't want to be an amputee. I didn't want people to see me differently."
"Running has given me confidence: I can be who I am. Because I know my body has run 100 miles, I've done all of this with a prosthetic, so I'm proud to be who I am now."
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As part of her marathon challenge, Hunt-Broersma raised nearly $200,000 for Amputee Blade Runners, a charity that provides special and often expensive running prosthetics for amputees.
This far exceeded his initial expectation of $10,000, just as he exceeded his own expectations by running 104 consecutive marathons.
“My career has taught me that I am capable of so much more,” says Hunt-Broersma.
"I thought this would be a great way to show people what you can do if you push yourself outside of your comfort zone."
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