Matthieu Bonne sets new ultra-endurance running record

The ultra-endurance athlete has already made heads turn with amazing feats such as cycling 3,619.72 kilometres in 7 days, or completing eight iron-distance triathlons in eight days on the Canary Islands. A lifeguard by profession, he became well-known in Dutch-speaking Belgium through his participation in Kamp Waes, a popular TV show where ordinary Belgians see whether they have what it takes to become Special Forces. 

To achieve the world record, which had been held by Yiannis Kouros since 1996, he had to run more than 473.5 kilometres in 48 hours, a distance our compatriot reached with an hour and 20 minutes to spare. The time to beat for anyone who thinks they can outrun this Belgian ultra-athlete is 485.099 kilometres. 

Matthieu Bonne was taking 12-minute breaks every three hours but eventually reduced them to 6 minutes to be able to stay on pace. He said that the record attempt was “mentally super heavy” and that it starts to hurt physically after 12 hours as well. We’ll take his word for it! 

Congratulations to this extremely talented Belgian. We can’t wait to see which challenge he takes on next.