A Sydney woman has become the first to complete seven marathons in seven days on seven continents in a wheelchair (the so-called World Marathon Challenge).
Johanna Garvin -who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of one- completed the World Marathon challenge with help from two runners with extensive endurance experience, fellow Australian James Alderson and British Steve Birnie.
Alderson and Birnie took it in turns to alternately push the 26-year-old woman in a customized wheelchair. The aerodynamic chair, which cost approximately $50,000, had one wheel at the front and two wheels at the back.
Even though Johanna was being pushed around the courses, she was kept busy helping with logistics, particularly during the four-night marathons, often shouting out “potholes, left hand side.”
The trio took on average between four to five hours to complete each of the marathons.
