The Metro, 6th February 2009

BY JOANNE O'CONNOR

A GALWAY-BORN ultra distance runner yesterday has become the first person on the planet to complete the ultimate endurance test.

Richard Donovan aimed to run seven marathons on seven continents in less than seven days – but did it in a staggering five days, nine hours and eight minutes.

The 42-year-old battled temperatures ranging from -20°C to 32°C and rested by napping in the economy class seats of aeroplanes between continents during his 43,000km-long trip.

But the Galwegian didn't undertake the task as a means of shedding some post-Christmas flab – his world record attempt was to highlight Irish charity Goal's work in the war-torn region of Darfur.

And he is already thinking of his next challenge.

'I've no certain plans, but always had the idea of running across the continent of Antarctica rather than just small sections of it in races,' he said.

'It would take a big sponsor though, which probably isn't realistic in today's economic climate.'

Richard began in Antarctica in temperatures as low as -20°C on January 31 before flying through a snowstorm to Cape Town, on to the searing heat of Dubai, the snow in London and Toronto, before battling 32°C in Santiago, Chile.

The biggest worry came on the first day as conditions closed in on the Russian Nova air base, sparking fears that his plane would be grounded. 'It would have meant 1 would have had to run the marathon again the following day in order to do everything in under seven days,' Donovan said. 'That marathon was not something I'd want to run again.' In 2002 he became, the first person in the world to run a marathon at both Poles, and now organises races in the North Pole and the Antarctic.

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