After a grueling five-month journey, marathon runner, Tessa Thompson, completed her 6,300km (3,900 miles) run from the top to the bottom of Australia. Tessa, 32, ran a marathon every day for 150 days, setting a new world record for the most consecutive daily marathons by a woman. She also raised over A$100,000 (£57,000, $70,000) for conservation charity, the Nature Trust.
Tessa had been running professionally for years, but after missing out on qualifying for the Olympics, she set her sights on another life-long dream: to run the entire length of Australia and break the record for the most consecutive daily marathons by a woman. The previous record was held by Briton, Kate Jayden, who completed 106 marathons in as many days.
Tessa’s journey was not only a personal accomplishment, but also aimed to raise awareness of the extinction crisis facing Australian animals and plants. Australia is home to some of the world’s richest biodiversity, but also has one of the worst records for biodiversity loss.
Despite facing injuries, extreme weather conditions and consuming between 5,000 and 6,000 calories a day, Tessa persevered and crossed the finish line in Melbourne. She also overcame sunburn, blisters, aches and insect bites, and went through 10 pairs of runners.
After crossing the finish line, Tessa was overwhelmed by the support and said, “I think it’s gonna be a big night of celebrations – well, a big two hours until I fall asleep anyway.”
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