The 365 Marathon Man

7 FEB2011

Marathoner Stefaan Engels set a new world record on Saturday in Barcelona. The Belgian endurance phenomenon had run and completed 365 marathons in 365 days.

Engels, dubbed the 'Marathon Man,' began the extreme physical challenge a year ago in Barcelona. He competed a race a day in 7 countries: Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Canada, Mexico, the UK and the US. He crossed the finish line on Saturday after running 15,000km (9,569 miles) in a year.

"I don't regard my marathon year as torture. It is more like a regular job," the 49-year-old said. Stefaan averaged about four hours to complete a marathon with a best time of 2:56. Engels suffered from asthma as a child and had been told by doctors to avoid sport.

This was Engels' second attempt at the feat. He injured his leg 18 days into the first try about a year ago and had to wait until he recovered to start over. Before Engels, the record marathon man was Akinori Kusuda of Japan - who ran 52 races in a row at the age of 65 in 2009.