Athletes Set Record With Marathon On World's Highest Active Volcano

Running a marathon is already a tough challenge, but a group of athletes has taken it to a whole new level by completing one at extreme altitude on a volcano, reported Guinness World Records.

Five athletes successfully ran what is now recorded as the highest marathon ever on Ojos del Salado, the world's highest active volcano, on 11 February. Battling strong winds and harsh weather conditions, the runners carried out the race at an altitude of about 22,614 feet (6,893 m) above sea level.

The marathon was organised by BecomingX, a group co-founded by Bear Grylls. The company had earlier set records for the deepest marathon and the deepest underground team marathon in a mineshaft. The organisers said the expedition aims to help people build confidence and realise their potential.

Paul Gurney, CEO of BecomingX and one of the runners, said doing anything at such altitude is tough as breathing, moving and even thinking becomes harder, and added that running a marathon from nearly 7,000 metres was always going to push them to their limits. He said the challenge showed that resilience and potential are built through experience, and explained that it is not about comfort or control but about preparation, mindset and the willingness to keep going when everything tells you to stop.

Before the race, the participants spent nearly two weeks adjusting to the dry desert conditions and high altitude. They then undertook an 11.5 hour climb to reach the starting point of the marathon.

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The runners faced winds of up to 100 km/h and temperatures dropping to -30°C. They began the race at night, and as extreme conditions forced many from the support team to stop, only the five athletes and a small group of witnesses completed the full course.

The marathon itself took around 16 to 18 hours, with the runners spending more than 28 hours on their feet when including the climb. The route covered about 43 km down the volcano towards Laguna Verde, passing high-altitude shelters and checkpoints along the way.

The difficult conditions, including low oxygen levels, freezing temperatures and isolation, made the event both physically and logistically challenging.

The five runners included Paul Gurney, endurance cyclist Mark Beaumont, expedition leader Aldo Kane, mountaineer Sibusiso Vilane, and Paralympic champion Sarah Storey.

BecomingX and its tour partner Adventure Alternative set the overall highest marathon record, along with the highest marathon distance run by a team.