OMs Paris Norriss and James Elliot-Square Complete World Marathon Challenge, Shattering the Record

Published by Millfield on Friday 14th of February 2025

Old Millfieldians Paris Norriss (2001-2003; Walton) and James Elliot-Square (1996-2001; Day) have not only successfully completed the World Marathon Challenge, which involves running 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days, but have also smashed the previous record by finishing it in just 5 days and 19 hours.

The journey wasn't without its challenges. The pair began in Antarctica, a place where only 250 people a year venture to the deep continent (compared to 120,000 who visit coastal Antarctica), enduring temperatures as low as -15°C, but both completed a strong marathon. They then boarded a Soviet Ilyushin 76 cargo plane to Cape Town, where they started their next marathon just 15 hours later - having had no sleep in between. It was at this point that a previous injury, which had cursed James Elliot-Square for months, ruined his day, reducing him to walking and ultimately forcing him to finish the race on crutches. With five marathons left to go, he committed to completing the entire challenge on crutches, driven by his higher purpose of raising support for underprivileged children through the Sovereign Art Foundation. This not only established him as a hero among his fellow competitors, but he also broke the world record twice in one week for the fastest time to complete a marathon on crutches.

The challenge was as much a logistical undertaking as it was an athletic feat, with the runners only able to rest during flight times and having just 2-3 hours between landing and starting the next race.

They then ran marathons in Perth, Dubai, Madrid, Brazil, and finally Miami. With support from the Brain Performance Centre in Dubai, they were able to make a rapid recovery during a pit stop, undergoing intense physiotherapy while in a hyperbaric chamber with 100% oxygen. At this stage, Paris Norriss was on the verge of breaking point, but he was able to get back on track the following day, stating, "I would not have been able to run in Madrid if we hadn’t had The Brain Performance Centre there to put me back on track."

On 6th February, at 6 a.m., after running through the night, Paris Norriss crossed the finish line in Miami, completing the challenge in a total time of 5 days and 19 hours. He was shortly followed by James Elliot-Square, who finished the race on crutches.

Over the course of the challenge, they ran 296 km, travelled 48,000 km, endured temperatures as low as -15°C in Antarctica and as high as 35°C with 80% humidity in Fortaleza, Brazil, spent 65 hours in transit, and burned 42,000 calories each (6,000 per day).

Their journey has been covered on their campaign social pages @stridesforgood.