Sharon On Track For World Record

19 DEC2011

As she approaches day 5 in her treadmill challenge, Sharon Gayter is faring remarkably well and is on course to break the current world record at Teesside University. At the close of yesterday's running, Sharon had clocked up 541km, meaning she must cover just over 300km in the remaining 3 days to match Lee Chamberlain's current record of 753km (468.04 miles).

The challenge has not been without drama, however, and only 7 hours in to the first day of running, the treadmill equipment failed. Despite losing some vital time, a back-up machine was quickly organised and Sharon finished the day with a comfortable 70.89km.

Since then, her progress has been impressive, averaging over 100km (62 miles) per day. The main obstacle, she reveals, is not fatigue but boredom: "It's a bit tedious, I'm used to running outside, but it's not as bad as I thought. I'm running for about 18 hours a day, with just meal and sleep breaks."

No stranger to endurance running, Sharon has competed in over 300 marathons and 100 ultras, including the Flora 1000 Mile Challenge that took nearly 6 weeks to complete.

Prior to embarking on her treadmill attempt, Sharon said she didn't want to just set her sights on the female world record (which currently stands at 403.81 miles): "It had to be challenging, people don't want something that's soft, so to be a challenge I think it had to be breaking a men's world record which is very rarely done in athletics by females."

Sharon is raising money for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research and Zoe's Place, a hospice for children in Middlesbrough. The event is open to the public and you can show your support by cheering Sharon on at the Olympia Building at Teeside University.