World Runners Association
 | |
| Formation | October 1, 2014 |
|---|---|
| Type | Nonprofit NGO |
Membership | 9 |
President | Phil Essam |
| Remarks | Registered at UIA with XM5598 ID. |
The World Runners Association (WRA) adjudicates on official attempts to run or walk around the world, including the ratification or otherwise of claims for a variety of world records. These records comprise the categories of Longest Circumnavigation of the Earth on Foot, Fastest Circumnavigation of the Earth on Foot, Most Circumnavigations of the Earth on Foot, Oldest Person to Circumnavigate the Earth on Foot and Youngest Person to Circumnavigate the Earth on Foot.
The WRA is the international governing body for the sport of running and walking events involving a circumnavigation of the Earth on foot.
History[edit]
The World Runners Association (WRA)[1] was established on October 1, 2014. The Association was born out of the minds of some of the first runners to have completed a full circumnavigation of the earth running, following the same set of rules. Jesper Kenn Olsen and Tom Denniss created the World Runners Club,[2] 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 (nowadays mostly based on GPS records). The association was thereby, born and record-keeping has since been officially kept within it. With only 7 runners having satisfied the criteria so far, the WRA is referred to as a very exclusive club.[3]
Governance[edit]
The current President of the WRA is Mr Phil Essam, resident of Canberra, Australia.
An Executive Committee is set up from among the members of the WRA to assist the President in his duties.
The WRA is a not-for-profit voluntary organization and a non-legally binding governing body. It has no legal or financial control over athletes in regard to a circumnavigation of the earth on foot.
The WRA’s purpose is to set common and consistent standards and rules, as well as be the official record keeping body for the sport.[4]
Members[edit]
The current members of the WRA are the 7 runners who have completed a fully documented circumnavigation of the world on foot (General Members), as well as the WRA President and any Honorary, Associate, or other invited members.
| Name | Country | Date Completed | Kms run | Continents crossed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Essam (President) |  AUS
|
- | - | n/a |
| Jesper Kenn Olsen[5] |  DNK
|
2005
2012 |
26,232 |
|
| Rosie Swale-Pope[6] |  GBR
|
2008 | 32,187 |
|
| Tom Denniss[7] | AUS
|
2013 | 26,232 |
|
| Tony Mangan[8] |  IRE
|
2014 | 50,000 |
|
| Kevin Carr[9][10][11] | GBR
|
2015 | 26,232 |
|
| Serge Girard[12] |  FRA
|
2017 | 26,245 |
|
| Marie Leautey[13][14] | FRA
|
2022 | 28,249 |
|
| Tom Fremantle[15] | GBR
|
2023 | 17,615 | Honorary member[Notes 1] |
Membership[edit]
Membership can be achieved by :
- (a) completing a successful circumnavigation of the world on foot,
- or (b) by special invitation at the initiative of the President and Executive Committee of the WRA.
Any claim for membership should be submitted to the WRA with all available documentation. The WRA strongly recommends the use of GPS and other tracking devices to facilitate the ratification process.
Rules[edit]
The WRA sets out 10 rules, which must be followed to successfully complete a circumnavigation of the world on foot.
They involve :
- Starting and finishing at the same place;
- Covering a minimum distance of 26.232km;
- Crossing all lines of longitude;
- Crossing at least 4 continents from coast to coast (except in the case of a North Hemisphere world-run);
- Running in a generally continuous direction;
- Passing through two antipodal points (within a specified tolerance);
- Running at least 50% of the total distance (in the case of a ‘world run’ – a ‘world walk requires no running);
- Taking no more than six months of total cumulative “time off” during the attempt.
The 7 continents are: Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, North America, South America, Antarctica.
The rules are explained in greater details on the WRA website.
Records[edit]
[edit]
| Date | Runner | Duration | Kms run | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | ||||
| April 8, 2017 | Serge Girard | 434 days | 26,245 km | 🏆 |
| Women | ||||
| September 1, 2022 | Marie Leautey | 825 days | 28,249 km | 🏆 |
[edit]
| Date | Runner | Duration | Kms run | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | ||||
| October 26, 2014 | Tony Mangan | 1,461 days | 50,000 km | 🏆 |
[edit]
| Date | Runner | Circumnavigation count | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | |||
| July 28, 2012 | Jesper Kenn Olsen | 2 circumnavigations | 🏆 |
[edit]
| Date | Runner | Average age | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | |||
| October 23, 2005 | Jesper Kenn Olsen | 33 years, 147 days | 🏆 |
[edit]
| Date | Runner | Average age | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | |||
| April 8, 2017 | Serge Girard | 62 years 315 days | 🏆 |
Controversy[edit]
In 2024 the WRA came into the public eye when it publically stated that one of its members, Jesper Kenn Olsen, had run across the length of Africa during his 2008-2012 world-run. According to the WRA Olsen's run pre-dated that of Mr Russel Cook of England, who had claimed to be the first person to run the length of Africa in April 2024.[16][17]
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ "World Runners Association | UIA Yearbook Profile | Union of International Associations". uia.org. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ↑ "The World Runners Club". www.worldrun.org. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ↑ "Is this the world's most exclusive travel club?". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ↑ "Around the World on Foot (1875-1895) | Ultrarunning History". 2019-11-11. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ↑ "Profile - World Run Projekt". www3.worldrun.org. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ↑ "Rosie Swale Adventurer and Motivational speaker". Rosie Swale. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ↑ Press, Australian Associated (2013-09-13). "Fastest round the world runner nears Sydney Opera House finish line". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ↑ "theworldjog.com – blog » Blog Archive » World Runners Association Press Release". Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ↑ "The Devon man who ran the world | The Exeter Daily". www.theexeterdaily.co.uk. 2015-04-09. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ↑ "The Devon man who ran the world | The Devon Daily". www.thedevondaily.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ↑ "New Record For Fastest Run Around the World". Runner's World. 2015-04-09. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ↑ "The challenge". Run Around the Planet. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ↑ à 15h48, Par Frédéric Durand Le 19 septembre 2022 (2022-09-19). "À Rouen, la marathonienne de l'extrême boucle son Tour du monde". leparisien.fr (in français). Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ↑ "Lootie-Run – My run around the world". Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ↑ "The Plan – Tom's World Walk". tomsworldwalk.com. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ↑ Davies, Caroline (2024-04-08). "'Hardest Geezer' Russ Cook enjoys a day off running after epic Africa journey". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
- ↑ Kelly, Guy (2024-04-08). "How the 'Hardest Geezer' ran across Africa straight into an unlikely feud". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
External links[edit]
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