World Runners Association

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{{Infobox organization

| name = World Runners Association

| formation = {{start date and age|2014|10|01}}

| logo = WRA Badge.jpg

| type = Nonprofit

NGO

| membership = 7

| leader_title = President

| leader_name = Phil Essam

| volunteers =

| website = {{URL|https://worldrunnersassociation.org}}

| remarks =

}} The World Runners Association (WRA) is a small group of ultra-runners which aims to provide a consistent set of rules for athletes attempting to complete a pedestrian circumnavigation, as well as to ratify and record attempts completed as per these rules. The BBC describes the WRA as "a small-scale operation that functions as a de facto governing body of the extremely niche sport of world running". As of April 2024, the group has seven members all of whom have successfully completed a circumnavigation of the world on foot.

History

The World Runners Association (WRA) was established on October 1, 2014 and is a not-for-profit organization. Jesper Kenn Olsen and Tom Denniss created the World Runners Club, a subsidiary organisation under the umbrella of the World Runners Association.

They set out to offer a common and consistent set of rules, as well as a ratification process based on review of evidence.{{Cite web |title=Is this the world's most exclusive travel club? |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20200817-is-this-the-worlds-most-exclusive-travel-club |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=www.bbc.com}} The BBC describes the WRA as "a small-scale operation that functions as a de facto governing body of the extremely niche sport of world running".

Members

Membership is gained by completing a successful circumnavigation of the world on foot based on WRA's rules or by special invitation. The current president of the WRA is Phil Essam.{{Cite web |title=World Runners Association |url=https://worldrunnersassociation.org/ |access-date=2024-04-16 |website=World Runners Association |language=en}}

class="wikitable" | style=width:100%

!Name

!Country

!Date Completed

!Kms run

!Continents crossed

Phil Essam (President)

|{{flag|AUS}}

| -

|n/a

Jesper Kenn Olsen{{Cite web |title=Profile - World Run Projekt |url=http://www3.worldrun.org/profiluk.html |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=www3.worldrun.org}}

|{{flag|DNK}}

|{{Start date and age|2005

|paren=1|br=1}}

{{Start date and age|2012

|paren=1|br=1}}

|26,232

Europe,
Australia,
North America,
South America,
Africa,
Asia

Rosie Swale-Pope{{Cite web |title=Rosie Swale Adventurer and Motivational speaker |url=https://rosieswalepope.co.uk/ |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=Rosie Swale |language=en}}

|{{flag|GBR}}

|{{Start date and age|2008

|paren=1|br=1}}

|32,187

Europe,
Asia,
North America

Tom Denniss{{Cite news |agency=Australian Associated Press |date=2013-09-13 |title=Fastest round the world runner nears Sydney Opera House finish line |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/13/round-world-run-ends |access-date=2024-02-26 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

|{{flag|AUS}}

|{{Start date and age|2013

|paren=1|br=1}}

|26,232

North America,
South America,
Europe,
Australia

Tony Mangan{{Cite web |title=theworldjog.com – blog » Blog Archive » World Runners Association Press Release |url=https://www.theworldjog.com/blog/?p=7823 |access-date=2024-02-26 |language=en-US}}

|{{flag|IRE}}

|{{Start date and age|2014

|paren=1|br=1}}

|50,000

North America,
South America,
Australia,
Asia,
Europe

Kevin Carr{{Cite web |date=2015-04-09 |title=The Devon man who ran the world {{!}} The Exeter Daily |url=https://www.theexeterdaily.co.uk/news/local-news-world-news/devon-man-who-ran-world |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=www.theexeterdaily.co.uk |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=The Devon man who ran the world {{!}} The Devon Daily |url=https://www.thedevondaily.co.uk/news/local-news/devon-man-who-ran-world |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=www.thedevondaily.co.uk}}{{Cite web |date=2015-04-09 |title=New Record For Fastest Run Around the World |url=https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a20784803/new-record-for-fastest-run-around-the-world/ |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=Runner's World |language=en-US}}

|{{flag|GBR}}

|{{Start date and age|2015

|paren=1|br=1}}

|26,232

Europe,
Asia,
Australia,
North America,
South America

Serge Girard{{Cite web |title=The challenge |url=https://sergegirard.fr/en/the-challenge/ |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=Run Around the Planet |language=en-US}}

|{{flag|FRA}}

|{{Start date and age|2017

|paren=1|br=1}}

|26,245

Europe,
Australia,
North America,
South America

Marie Leautey{{Cite web |last=à 15h48 |first=Par Frédéric Durand Le 19 septembre 2022 |date=2022-09-19 |title=À Rouen, la marathonienne de l'extrême boucle son Tour du monde |url=https://www.leparisien.fr/seine-maritime-76/a-rouen-la-marathonienne-de-lextreme-boucle-son-tour-du-monde-19-09-2022-6EUY5DTUUVCTVIGE64AKSU5YXM.php |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=leparisien.fr |language=fr-FR}}{{Cite web |title=Lootie-Run – My run around the world |url=https://lootie-run.com/ |access-date=2024-02-26 |language=en-US}}

|{{flag|FRA}}

|{{Start date and age|2022

|paren=1|br=1}}

|28,249

Europe,
Australia,
North America,
South America

Tom Fremantle{{Cite web |title=The Plan – Tom's World Walk |url=https://tomsworldwalk.com/tom-fremantle-the-plan/ |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=tomsworldwalk.com}}

|{{flag|GBR}}

|{{Start date and age|2023

|paren=1|br=1}}

|17,615

|Honorary memberTom Fremantle, honorary member world-walk affected by Covid-related issues ({{Citation |title=The Plan |date= |url=https://tomsworldwalk.com/tom-fremantle-the-plan/ |access-date=2024-02-10 |publisher=Oxford University Press}})

Records

= Fastest Circumnavigation of the Earth on Foot =

class="wikitable sortable" style=width:100%

!width="25%"|Date

!width="25%"|Runner

!width="20%"|Duration

!width="15%"|Kms run

!width="15%"|Record

colspan="5" |Men

|Serge Girard

|434 days

|26,245 km

| align="center" |🏆

colspan="5" |Women

|Marie Leautey

|825 days

|28,249 km

| align="center" |🏆

= Longest Circumnavigation of the Earth on Foot =

class="wikitable sortable" style=width:100%

!width="25%"|Date

!width="25%"|Runner

!width="20%"|Duration

!width="15%"|Kms run

!width="15%"|Record

colspan="5" |Men

|Tony Mangan

|1,461 days

|50,000 km

| align="center" |🏆

= Most Circumnavigations of the Earth on Foot =

class="wikitable sortable" style=width:100%

!width="25%"|Date

!width="25%"|Runner

!width="35%"|Circumnavigation count

!width="15%"|Record

colspan="4" |Men

|Jesper Kenn Olsen

|2 circumnavigations

| align="center" |🏆

= Youngest to Circumnavigate the Earth on Foot =

class="wikitable sortable" style=width:100%

!width="25%"|Date

!width="25%"|Runner

!width="35%"|Average age

!width="15%"|Record

colspan="4" |Men

|Jesper Kenn Olsen

|33 years, 147 days

| align="center" |🏆

= Oldest to Circumnavigate the Earth on Foot =

class="wikitable sortable" style=width:100%

!width="25%"|Date

!width="25%"|Runner

!width="35%"|Average age

!width="15%"|Record

colspan="4" |Men

|Serge Girard

|62 years 315 days

| align="center" |🏆

Controversy

In 2024 the WRA disputed Russ Cook's claims of being the first person to run the full length of Africa. The disputes center on differing routes and semantics.{{Cite news |last=Kelly |first=Guy |date=2024-04-08 |title=How the 'Hardest Geezer' ran across Africa straight into an unlikely feud |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/08/russ-cook-hardest-geezer-africa-jesper-olsen-ultramarathon/ |access-date=2024-04-11 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}} The WRA agreed Cook is the first to run from Africa's southernmost to northernmost point{{cite web |last1=Mather |first1=Victor |date=8 April 2024 |title=Guns, Machetes and Illness: The Perils of Running the Length of Africa |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/08/sports/russ-cook-africa.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240408184823/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/08/sports/russ-cook-africa.html |archive-date=8 April 2024 |access-date=9 April 2024 |website=New York Times }} but claims WRA member Jesper Olsen is the first to run the full length in 2010, running from Taba, Egypt to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa as part of a world run.{{Cite news |last=Braidwood |first=Jamie |date=2024-04-08 |title=Row erupts over Hardest Geezer's claim of 'record' run of Africa |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/hardest-geezer-africa-run-record-length-of-b2524948.html |access-date=2024-04-09 |work=The Independent |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Kelly |first=Guy |date=2024-04-08 |title=How the 'Hardest Geezer' ran across Africa straight into an unlikely feud |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/08/russ-cook-hardest-geezer-africa-jesper-olsen-ultramarathon/ |access-date=2024-04-13 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}} According to The Independent Nicholas Bourne, whose 1998 run starting in Cape Town, South Africa and finishing in Cairo, Egypt, was certified by the Guinness World Records in 2000, stated "disputes often arise around ultra-running records because there was no governing body to oversee and set criteria for long-distance challenges". According to Guinness World Records they have no official record for the first man to have run the length of Africa because "there is no recognised standard for the route, distance or time taken".{{Cite news |last=Somerville |first=Ewan |date=2024-04-08 |title=Guinness to hand 'Hardest Geezer' world record for Africa run |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/04/08/guinness-set-to-hand-hardest-geezer-world-record-africa-run/ |access-date=2024-04-13 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}

Notes

References

External links

{{Official website|https://worldrunnersassociation.org/}}

Category:International sports organizations

Category:Running

Category:Athletics governing bodies