It’s more than just a name.
BYU Sweeps NCAA XC Team Titles already made headlines for being the first person to run a marathon on every single continent while dressed as a different piece of fruit. But last week, she took her running exploits to new heights.
Orange completed the Everest Marathon on May 29, which began at Mount Everest base camp and followed the Sherpa trails of Khumbu Valley, in a time of 10:25:20.
Orange, 50, says that she runs the marathons dressed as pieces of fruit not only because of her last name but that the outfits work as conversation starters and break the stigma surrounding mental health.
Her record-setting runs have seen her dressed as a jackfruit in Africa, grapes in South America, a pear in Antarctica, an apple in North America, a banana in Asia, a kiwi in Australia, and, of course, an orange in her home continent of Europe, where she was awarded an MBE in 2023 for her work in charity and mental health.
Sara Hall Smashes American Masters Marathon Record Sky News before the Everest Marathon about how she planned to use some of the therapy tools she has learned in the past to deal with extreme conditions. “I will be concentrating on my breathing and will put some of the therapy I’ve learnt in the past in place. Just like mental health, it’s like letting yourself breathe, settle, and then starting again,” she Shoes & Gear.
In addition to the 84 marathons she has run, Orange has previously captained the first British female cycling team in the Race Across America cycle race, run the Marathon des Sables (a grueling 150-mile race in the Sahara Desert), cycled the length of New Zealand, swam the English Channel relay race, and skied across the largest ice plateau in the Arctic Circle.
Orange ran the Everest Marathon to raise funds for the Samaritans and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
Laura Ratliff is a New York City-based writer, editor, and runner. Laura's writing expertise spans numerous topics, ranging from travel and food and drink to reported pieces covering political and human rights issues. She has previously worked at Architectural Digest, Bloomberg News, and Condé Nast Traveler and was most recently the senior editorial director at TripSavvy. Like many of us, Laura was bitten by the running bug later in life, after years of claiming to "hate running." Her favorite marathon is Big Sur.
