Amputee athlete runs 104 marathons in 104 days

Jacky Hunt-Broersma.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Whether it was on a course near her home in Arizona or through the streets of Boston, Jacky Hunt-Broersma spent 104 consecutive days making sure she ran 26.2 miles before the sun went down.

The 46-year-old set the goal of running 104 marathons in 104 days to not only break an unofficial women's world record, but to also show the power of perseverance. After Hunt-Broersma was diagnosed with a rare cancer, her left leg below the knee was amputated, and she runs with a carbon-fiber prosthesis.

Hunt-Broersma started her quest on Jan. 17, running on a loop course. Some days she would switch things up and run on her treadmill, and for her 92nd run, Hunt-Broersma competed in the Boston Marathon. Her 104th — and final — marathon was on Saturday; she actually hit the unofficial record for daily consecutive marathons two days earlier, but really wanted to secure the honor. (Guinness World Records told The Associated Press that it could take up to four months to review and ratify the record.)

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She shared her progress on social media, with supporters following along as Hunt-Broersma covered 2,672 miles. She also raised $27,000 to help other amputee blade runners purchase expensive prostheses. Hunt-Broersma told AP she "can't believe" it's the end of her adventure, and the "best thing was the incredible support I've received from people around the world who've reached out, telling me how this has inspired them to push themselves."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.