7 Marathons, 7 Continents, 7 Days - Julianne Fox World Marathon Challenge
Doing hard things was the primary motivation behind Julianne Fox’s recent completion of 7 ultra marathons, on 7 continents in 7 days. “The physical and mental challenges that arise when running long distances while navigating extreme weather conditions, time zones and degrees of fatigue provides the perfect opportunity to learn more about yourself.”
The World Marathon Challenge 2026 was held over 7 days from 31 January to 6 February 2026. The challenge is to complete 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days, starting in Antarctica, participants then travelled to Cape Town (Africa), Perth (Australasia), Dubai (Asia), Madrid (Europe), Fortaleza (South America) and finished in Miami (North America). Julianne was the only Australian in the event and she decided to take on the extra challenge of completing ultra-marathons (50 km) instead of marathons on each continent. Over the week, Julianne only spent about 12 hours on each continent – and aside from running this time was spent in airport queues! Rest (and some sleep) occurred on the flights – the plane had seats that reclined but unfortunately did not completely lay down flat. The process was to sleep as much as possible and then change into your running gear just before landing before going through the usual international airport rigmarole and catching a bus to the start line. There was usually about 30 frantic minutes before each race started to get ready, sort out nutrition supplies, timing chips, race numbers and warm up etc.
The high points of the week included running in Antarctica – it’s like being on another planet, with the continuous daylight and nothing but white as far as the eye can see. Having family who flew to Perth to cheer Julianne on was also a key high point of the week and provided a great boost to morale, as well as some extra energy from a steady supply of RedBull!
The lows were being unwell for the runs in Dubai and Miami – Julianne could not keep anything down and needed to draw on her mental courage to keep moving forwards with her energy totally depleted. She also slipped in Brazil and tore her quadriceps – so the final run in Miami was more of a hobble in the dark. She is not quite sure how she actually finished the 50km!
Having the right gear to manage all conditions was essential – Julianne was well prepared for the cold of Antarctica and the challenge was not so much the minus 30 degree temperatures but running in layers, trying not to sweat (because it freezes) and breathing with her face fully covered.
For the other runs Julianne proudly wore her One Running victory speed singlets – which were designed to reflect Julianne’s personality and the challenges of the event. They were extremely comfortable (perfectly unnoticeable) and made Julianne feel fast, even in the 42 deg heat of Perth and the humid thunderstorms of Brazil.
Julianne is not new to ultra endurance activities and 15 years ago was an ultra-distance trail runner and raced 100 km events in Antarctica, Nepal, New Zealand and back home in Australia. While training for her next challenge, running across the Simpson Desert, she was hit by a car while cycling and sustained significant leg, torso and shoulder injuries. It was a long and complex rehab. After being told she would never run again she turned her focus to ultra cycling and cycled across the Simpson Desert, completed gruelling 7 day cycling challenges and has 9 entries in the cycling Everesting hall of fame. Determined to overcome any limitation, Julianne tried to return to running multiple times - all of which ended with fractures and frustration. After shifting focus to build strength, her recent attempts to run were more successful – and she even managed to run her first marathon in the lead up to the World Marathon Challenge. Julianne works full time and does not consider herself to have any genetic gifts – she is just disciplined and consistent. By completing the 777 Julianne hopes to inspire others to be brave and never stop trying to achieve their goals.
Training for the event was a very long, slow build over 30 weeks and the maximum distance in one week was 180km, just over half of the 350km the event required. Aside from running, Julianne focused on building strength and core stability, as well as running technique. She did some heat training in Adelaide by running along the Torrens on 40 deg days wearing a waterproof jacket, thermal tights, gloves and a hat - ignoring the quizzical looks from those she passed. Over the 7 days, Julianne rotated between four pairs of shoes – some of which were a full size larger to accommodate the anticipated swelling of her feet.
By completing the ultramarathons, Julianne set two new Guiness World Records for the 50 km (women) – the fastest total time of 6 days, 5 hours (6.5 hours quicker than the current record); and the fastest average time of 5 hours, 6 minutes (over one hour faster than the current record). Having run all around the world, Julianne looks forward to returning to her favourite Adelaide running routes… as soon as her quadriceps let her.
Photo credit: Richard Ducker
