Calgary man completes 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days in World Marathon Challenge

Last year, Munish Mohendroo sat in bed at his home in southwest Calgary recovering from a knee surgery, surfing the internet to find something to take his mind off things.

He came across the World Marathon Challenge, a test of physical endurance where runners complete seven marathons in seven consecutive days on seven different continents. 

After exchanging a few messages with the race director, he signed up.

"I've run always casually for fitness and for fun. And so I thought when I turned 50 I should do something interesting," he said in an interview with the Calgary Eyeopener.

"What better way to travel the seven continents than to run on each of them?"

He got back to Calgary after completing the trip just a few days ago, and surprisingly, he said he's feeling fine.

"There were times during the race where I did, my body did hate me for doing this," he said. "But you put training and effort into it and then your mind carries you through the rest."

Global Running Adventures started putting the yearly event together in 2015. The group is known for organizing extreme running events in challenging and remote locations.

About 50 runners from across the world sign up to participate in either the full marathon or a half-marathon. They're transported by chartered plane to Novo, Antarctica; Cape Town, South Africa; Perth, Australia; Dubai, UAE; Madrid, Spain; Fortaleza, Brazil; and Miami, United States. 

WATCH | Munish Mohendroo tells the Calgary Eyeopener about his trip around the world:

All flight carbon emissions are offset through the Carbonfund.org Foundation, according to the event website, as well as investments in forestry conservation projects in Brazil.

It's about $60,000 to participate, which includes most