On February 7, Darren Edwards completed the seventh marathon in the World Marathon Challenge, becoming the first hand-cyclist to do so, according to the Canadian Running.
The British athlete and veteran raised nearly $60,000 to support the Armed Forces Para-Snowsport Team, a British organization that helps the recovery of wounded, injured, and sick military personnel and veterans, according to its website.
Edwards was injured in a near-fatal climbing accident in August 2016, which left him paralyzed from the chest down, he wrote on his fundraising page.
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“I was incredibly fortunate to survive, but life would never be the same again,” he wrote. “I have been on a journey of rediscovery and have refused to let disability stop me from dreaming big and taking on tough challenges.”
There is, perhaps, no tougher challenge than the World Marathon Challenge.
In order to complete it participants must finish one marathon on every continent in seven days.
The first race took place on January 31 in the Antarctic Circle. From there, racers traveled to Cape Town (Africa), Perth (Australia), Dubai (Asia), Madrid (Europe), Fortaleza (South America), and Miami (North America). According to Canadian Running a “speed bump” caused a delay in athletes leaving South Africa, giving racers an extra day of recovery.
Edwards completed the Antarctica race in 5:48:37 before slashing his time in South Africa, with 2:52:04. In Australia, he finished in 2:36:30, in the heat. Next, he finished in 2:23 in Asia. The travel and racing began to take a toll. Edwards completed his European leg in 3:23:05. Then, he finished the South American race in 2:36:59.
Despite further travel issues, according to Canadian Running, athletes managed to get from South America to Miami mostly on schedule where Edwards became the first handcycle athlete to finish the challenge, completing the race in 2:31:40.
Edwards reflected on his whirlwind of a week on Instagram: “This week has tested me and my disability to the limit. I went into this challenge knowing that there was a potential for failure, that there were elements out of my control, which could dictate the success or failure of this endeavor. But, unless we are prepared to roll the dice and bet on ourselves, we are even less likely to achieve our true potential. Bet on yourself. Risk failure. Dare to dream big. You are capable of so much more than you know.”
Heather is the former food and nutrition editor for Runner’s World, the author of The Runner’s World Vegetarian Cookbook, and a seven-time marathoner with a best of 3:31—but she is most proud of her 1:32 half, 19:44 5K, and 5:33 mile. Her work has been published in The Boston Globe, Popular Mechanics, The Wall Street Journal Buy Side, Cooking Light, CNN, Glamour, The Associated Press, and Livestrong.com.
