An ultramarathon a day keeps the doctor away, I guess?
A 50km run is a feat that some spend a year training for, but Shannon-Leigh Litt has done that every single day since January 1st, 2024, and she is not letting up anytime soon.
The Whangarei local ticks off 51km each morning, which means she runs upward of 350km a week, and has clocked over 25,000km over the last year and half.
The 46-year-old is a criminal defense lawyer by day, so is often in bed by 7pm for a 2am wakeup, to squeeze in her run by 8.30am. But what's it all for?
Shannon told The Morning Rumble she does it for “personal satisfaction and achievement” and “mental health awareness” for herself and others.
“I’m attempting a Guinness World Record for the number of most consecutive ultra marathons for a female,” she said.
Yep that means every single day - not one day off.
The record currently sits with USA’s Candice Burt with 200 days, so Shannon has absolutely blown that out of the water. She plans to submit all of her data once she’s finished, and officially claim the title.
She didn’t initially plan to hit such an incredible number, but she hit day 50, found her groove, and the rest has been history.
Balancing this incredible goal alongside working full-time is quite the juggle for Shannon, but she doesn't let it deter her.
Some nights don’t see much sleep, but she does try to squeeze seven to eight hours. Over time her body “has gradually adjusted to it”.
To kill two birds with one stone, she has “embraced artificial intelligence” and will upload her work documents through her phone to listen to while she runs. Smarter not harder, eh?
Shannon has been “running 200kms plus a week for over ten years” and is “training for the 100k world champs”, so she's no stranger to this kind of endurance.
Although she makes it look easy, she admitted "you just never know what you’re gonna get each day".
“When I’m around other people, I’m really motivated and I want to go fast," she added.
I’ve connected with more people while I’ve been doing this, and I absolutely love running with other people. But then when I’m on my own, it’s really hard to motivate myself.
Shannon said she has a set goal in mind, and when she hits a certain number of consecutive days, she'll stop - but she won't reveal what it is, just that she's well over halfway.
What an absolutely inspirational lady, can’t wait to see where she finishes up.
