Roodepoort runner breaks world record for longest distance in 12 hours on a treadmill
Johan managed to run 163km in just under 11 hours at Hole in One Bouttique Hotel.
Johan van Tonder, a runner from Horison, managed to break the world record for the longest distance run on a treadmill in the space of 12 hours, on Saturday 10 November.
Johan, who has run a monumental 18 Comrades Marathons in his career, began his training three weeks after completing the 2018 Comrades Marathon (10 June). He has been training under the guidance of several coaches since then, with a team from Mayhem Fitness Academy his main coaches. They also helped him through his record attempt at Hole in One Boutique Hotel.
With the weather being rather warm on the day, the task of running on a treadmill from 6am right through to 6pm seemed even more daunting than it normally would. While Johan didn’t have to remain on the treadmill for the full 12 hours (he could take breaks whenever needed), he still stood a big chance of dehydrating in the heat.
But, as Johan pointed out after his successful attempt, his coaching team were instrumental in keeping him hydrated and making sure he could keep going. “There were times when I got seriously hot, but my coaches made sure I stayed cool and hydrated by pouring cool water over me,” Johan said. “I might not have drunk that many fluids, but the constant cooling down from my coaches definitely helped.”
Johan meant business on 10 November, and at 12pm (the six-hour mark) Johan had already run 100km, leaving him only 49km to break the record. But, while it may sound simple since he reached 100km so quickly, the second half of the run is where the mental toughness kicks in, as your body begins to tell you enough is enough.
Johan refused to give in however, and managed to keep going until just shy of 11 hours with a new world record in hand – 163km. Johan had been running against an Australian runner who was making the same attempt in Australia but, unbeknownst to Johan, the Australian had stopped after only six hours, meaning the record was Johan’s.
Johan now has to play the waiting game, as they might have broken the world record, but Guinness World Records need to recognise it first before it can appear in the Guinness Book of World Records.
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