For most people, cardio is a slog at the best of times
But try telling that to one man – superhero ‘Adventureman’ Jamie McDonald. He has today woken up as a Guinness World Record holder after running the ‘greatest distance covered on a treadmill within one week’.
McDonald covered a whopping 524.4 miles on a treadmill in a purpose-built marquee in Gloucester Quays. He was running in aid of the Superhero Foundation, a charity he co-founded that grants money to children for treatment that might be unaffordable or unavailable.
This achievement successfully surpasses the previous record of 517 miles, and will now be verified by Guinness World Records.
Adventureman’s other achievements
However, this is not the first world record the 32-year-old has attained. In December 2012, McDonald broke the Guinness World Record for the ‘longest marathon static cycle’, cycling in place for more than eleven days.
The fundraising adventurer, who has a rare spinal condition that kept him in and out of hospital as a child, has raised more than $1m for sick children over the last five years, and has raised a further £50,000 with his latest World Record attempt.
Gloucester man McDonald spent the first nine years of his life in and out of hospital with syringomyelia, a rare spinal condition. Combined with a weak immune system and epilepsy, his health was poor.
Against all odds
At nine years old, and against the odds, ‘Adventureman’ McDonald’s symptoms eased, allowing him to slowly become more active.
Last year, he completed a 5,500 mile, coast-to-coast fundraising run across the United States, raising more than £162,000 in the process. This distance was the equivalent of 210 marathons, and he did it all solo without a support crew.
He ran this in a specially-made superhero costume designed by young supporter Conner Reddy, then just 10 years old.
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