Amy Hughes (runner)

Amy Hughes (born 1987)[1][2] is a British marathon runner. In 2014-15, Hughes claimed to have completed 53 marathons in 53 days, after which she claimed to have broken the Guinness World Record. However, her record claim was rejected by the organisation, as their requirements at the time asked for claimants to have run the marathons in official races. In 2017, Hughes claimed to have broken the 7 day treadmill world record, by running 521 miles (838 km) over seven days at the Trafford Centre. Her record claim was rejected as implausible for a non-elite runner, and it also lacked independent verification.

For the British nursing administrator, see Amy Hughes (administrator).

Amy Hughes
Personal information
NationalityBritish
CitizenshipBritish
Born1987 (age 33–34)
OccupationMarathon runner
Sports therapist

Marathon running

Background

After her friends' child developed a medulloblastoma,[2][3] Hughes decided that she wanted to break the marathon running record in order to raise money for the Isabelle Lottie Foundation, which "raises awareness about the importance of diagnosing brain tumors early in children".[2] She was also inspired by Larry Macon, who ran across all 50 U.S. states,[4] desiring to run in all the major cities of the United Kingdom.[1] Hughes also wanted to promote "the importance of leading a healthy, active lifestyle".[5]

Marathons

She started her first run on 6 August 2014, in Chester.[1][6] From Chester, she travelled from north to south and then to the south-west,[7] before travelling north and completing her 53rd marathon in Manchester on 27 September.[1][2] Covering a total of 1,400 miles (2,300 km),[5] Hughes travelled to cities including London, Liverpool, Wolverhampton, Newcastle, Glasgow, and Cardiff.[1] After the event, Hughes said her highlight was Brighton, and that Tunbridge Wells was "hilly".[7] During the attempt, Hughes suffered from stomach viruses,[1] one of which caused her to take 8 hours to run her 35th marathon around Taunton.[4][2]

By making unsubstantiated and unverified claims of completing 53 marathons in 53 consecutive days, Hughes claimed[5] that she broke the world record for most consecutive marathons; according to the Guinness Book of Records, the current women's record is 60, set by Alice Burch in Southampton, England in 2015, and the previous women's record was 17, set by Parvaneh Moayedi in 2013.[8][6][nb 1] Hughes also raised over £42,000, of which £10,000 was donated to the Neurosurgery Department at Alder Hey Children's Hospital.[3]

Social media reactions

Hughes' record attempt received praise on social media, including from some notable celebrities. England football captain Wayne Rooney described her efforts as "a great achievement",[6] whilst Paula Radcliffe tweeted her support for the "amazing and inspirational accomplishment".[1]

Treadmill running

In 2017, Hughes claimed to have broken the 7-day treadmill world record, by running 521 miles (838 km) over seven days at the Trafford Centre, more than the previous record of 517.63 miles (833.04 km).[12][13] Her claim was rejected by Guinness, was subsequently heavily scrutinised and met with scepticism by some in the running community, in particular on Let's Run's forum,[14] and the Ultrarunning Community Facebook group.[15] Criticism was largely focused on the lack of any verifiable data to support this or any previous record claims, limited evidence to suggest the requisite athletic pedigree to break a record previously held by elite runners, and video evidence of Hughes taking breaks whilst the treadmill continued to run.[12] Her record claim had no independent witnesses, with the only witness being her ex-partner Dave Keighley.[16]

A subsequent investigation website concluded that "As a result of her treadmill record being denied, people have questioned her ability. 520 miles on a treadmill in 7 days would require an ability on par with the elite ultra runners and multi-day runners. While she will not be able to have this record validated, there are many sanctioned multi-day races – or even 24-hour races where she could at least validate her abilities. To date, none of her official races stand out. She admits that she is not fast, but she can prove her stamina in any # of sanctioned events".[12][17]

Other activities

After completing the marathons, Hughes was involved in a number of high-profile events. She helped Blue Peter presenter Lindsey Russell train for the London Marathon, and has spoken at many Running Expos. Her record won the "best running moment of the year" at the 2015 Running Awards.[18]

Personal life

Hughes works as a sports therapist in Oswestry, Shropshire.[7]

Notes
  1. In 2011, Belgian Stefaan Engels was credited as breaking the Guinness record with 365 consecutive marathons.[9][10][11]

References
  1. "Amy Hughes completes 53 marathon record bid". BBC News.
  2. "British woman runs 53 marathons in 53 days, sets new world record". Fox News Channel.
  3. "Parents of three year old who inspired Amy Hughes to run 53 marathons in 53 days reveals where money is to be spent". shropshirelive.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  4. "Super-fit woman runs 53 marathons in 53 days, sets world record". dna.
  5. "Shropshire runner plans record-breaking marathons event for charity". Runner's World. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  6. "Young woman's incredible achievement of 53 marathons in 53 days". The Daily Telegraph. 27 September 2014.
  7. "Amy Hughes: Little Izzy went through hell. I'm just doing 53 marathons". The Sunday Times.
  8. "Alice Burch completes running 60 marathons in 60 days".
  9. "Stefaan Engels sets marathon record". ESPN. AP. 5 February 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  10. "Man runs marathon every day for a year". ESPN. 6 February 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  11. Laurance, Jeremy (6 February 2011). "Belgian enters the record books with 365 marathons in a year". The Independent. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  12. "Guinness Was Right in Refusing To Validate Amy Hughes Treadmill Record". Marathon Investigation. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  13. "Runner Amy Hughes 'furious' at declined record bid". BBC News. 28 July 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  14. "Women runs 520 miles on treadmill in 7 days but doesn't get WR as Guinness says her witness doesn't count". www.letsrun.com.
  15. "Ultrarunning Community". www.facebook.com.
  16. Burden, Elizabeth (29 July 2017). "Boyfriend gets in way of runner Amy Hughes' world record". The Times. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  17. Shepherd, Katie (17 April 2017). "The man who catches marathon cheats" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  18. "Stepping out: Shropshire marathon star Amy Hughes runs into the arms of love « Shropshire Star". shropshirestar.com.
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