Brent Weigner is all set to compete in the 2017 Suva Marathon, the Fijian Capital City is to host the world record holder in marathon participation, Brent Weigner of the US.
The new world record is that he has run marathons or ultras in 133 countries. The new world record was set on June 18, 2017, in Isalo, Madagascar.
Brent Weigner, age 67, has run marathons and ultra-marathons on all seven continents a world record ten times.
He has completed 295 marathons (five sub-2:50s), ultra marathons, and multi-day stage races around the world.
Brent finished marathons in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. on January 18, 1998.
On October 11, 1998, Weigner completed marathons in all the Canadian provinces and territories.
On July 27, 1999, Brent became the first person in the world to run ultra marathons on all seven continents.
Eleven days later on August 7, Brent broke his own world record when he completed the Cross Calgary 57K, thereby lowering the record to 267 days for running ultras on all seven continents.
Brent Weigner is currently ranked number one in the world in number of countries in which official race marathons have been completed and vetted independently by:
Marathon Globetrotters verification process (http://www.marathonglobetrotters.org/membership/member-listing)
Country Marathon Club (https://www.countrymarathonclub.com/member-list–stats).
Brent’s adventure races have included :
- Marathon Des Sables, a 150-mile stage race in the Sahara Desert (Morocco) where participants had to carry all of their food and survival gear
- 104 Mile Desert Cup in Jordan (where he was filmed for the Discovery Channel’s Enduring Extremes)
- Mt. Kilimanjaro 50k (which he won two days after summiting the mountain)
- 150 mile Atacama Crossing in Chile where he won first in the men’s 50 and over age-group
- 150 mile Gobi March in China, the 150 mile Sahara Race in Egypt
- 150 mile Last Desert in Antarctica.
- The Last Desert Race included the first ever 100 mile run on the continent proper.
In 2001 Weigner visited Antarctica as a guest of Adventure Network International to consult with them on his plan to run the first ever marathon race to the Geographic South Pole. While there, he pioneered several running routes around Patriot Hills, the former site of the Antarctic Ice Marathon and 100k.
On January 22, 2002, Brent won the first ever ultra marathon held on the continent of Antarctica. The following year, Brent served as co-founder and co-race director of the first North Pole Marathon and he won the first ultra marathon held at the Geographic North Pole.
Currently, he is the only person in the world who has run ultra marathons on all the continents and at both Poles. Brent finished first in his age group at the National Snowshoe Championships in 2003, 2005 and 2010).
Coach Weigner has also directed over 100 running events including the 1980 National AAU Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships in which his 17-18 girls team won the national title.
For 38 years he was the race director for the Wyoming Marathon Races, which have raised thousands of dollars for the Cheyenne Boys and Girls Club.
Dr. Weigner serves as a marathon consultant to various organizations around the world. What makes his accomplishments more amazing is the fact Brent is a three-time cancer survivor.
