In 2021, Helen was grieving the sudden passing of her ex-husband when she found running. What started as an outlet soon turned into something way bigger: 111 consecutive half marathons, setting a Guinness World Record. But records? They’re meant to be broken. When a fellow runner challenged her, she pushed past 150, then 500, and eventually hit 1,000 days straight. No sick days, no breaks, no excuses.
Helen, a 43-year-old single mom of three from Wrexham, Wales, also runs a cleaning business, so she had to fit running in somewhere. Her solution? 4 a.m. alarms, clothes laid out the night before, and heading out the door while the world was still sleeping. No fancy gear, no special diets, just pure determination.
Her streak took her everywhere: the scorching Sahara, Miami’s beaches, snowstorms in the UK, even up volcanoes. She ran through exhaustion, injuries (including a nagging glute injury around Day 450 that she pushed through with slow runs), and every possible weather condition. Only at 1,000 days did she finally stop, due to bursitis in her knee. Now? She’s onto her #555Challenge: 5K a day, 5 servings of fruits and veggies, and 5 glasses of water.
Stopping at 1,000 wasn’t just a milestone, it was a shock. The adventure blues hit. Turns out, some people thought stopping meant she’d be “fun again.” But Helen wasn’t just mourning the end of her streak, she was grieving part of her identity.
Helen’s journey isn’t just about running, it’s about proving that when life knocks you down, you get up and go again. So, what’s your next challenge?
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