A local man has successfully completed the World Marathon Challenge, running seven marathons on seven continents in seven days.
Paris Norriss completed the challenge with his friend James Elliot-Square, smashing the previous record by finishing in five days and 19 hours.
“It wasn’t without some serious difficulties along the way,” says Paris, who did much of his training for the challenge on the small backroads of Frome towards Orchardleigh.
The pair started in Antarctica, where temperatures dropped to -15°C. Both ran a strong marathon before boarding a Soviet-era Ilyushin 76 cargo plane to Cape Town, starting their next marathon just 15 hours later—without any sleep.
“This was when a previous injury that had plagued James for months ruined his day, reducing him to walking and, finally, finishing the race on crutches,” explained Paris. “With five marathons left to go, he committed to completing the entire challenge on crutches, with his mind set on his higher purpose—raising support for underprivileged children through the Sovereign Art Foundation.
“This not only established him as a hero among competitors, but he also broke the world record twice in a week for the fastest marathon completed on crutches.”
The challenge was as much a logistical feat as an athletic one, with the runners only able to rest during flights and having just two to three hours between landing and starting the next race.
They then ran marathons in Perth, Dubai, Madrid, Brazil, and finally Miami. With help from the Brain Performance Centre in Dubai, they underwent rapid recovery treatment, including intense physiotherapy in a hyperbaric chamber with 100% oxygen.
Paris says he was at breaking point by this stage but managed to recover in time for the next race. “I would not have been able to run in Madrid if we hadn’t had the Brain Performance Centre there to put me back on track,” he said.
After running through the night, Paris reached the finish line in Miami in five days and 19 hours, at 6am on 6th February, followed shortly after by James on crutches.
Paris lived in East Woodlands for the first 20 years of his life before moving to Dubai but returns each summer. James grew up close to Sherbourne.
Pictured: James and Paris
