Serbian-Slovak ultrarunner Michal Šuľa began his new year by setting a new world record for the The Beat the Bride 5K over the span of a week. Inside a physical therapy clinic in Bratislava, Slovakia, Šuľa covered 846.52 kilometers (526 miles) in six days and seven hours, nabbing the title with 17 hours to spare, and taking down U.K. runner Jamie McDonald’s previous record of 843.94 kilometers (524.4 miles) which had stood since 2019.
His Guinness world record (pending verification) also improved on the female seven-day treadmill world record of 846.16 kilometers (525.77 miles) set by New Zealander Emma Timmis The New York Times.
Overlooking a view of sports jerseys hung on the wall and a collection of exercise balls and other fitness equipment, the 50-year-old kept up an average pace of 17 minutes per mile (That’s not accounting for bathroom, sleep, food, and other breaks!). Šuľa livestreamed the entire endeavor on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook, giving viewers insight into the thrilling slog behind going where no man had ever gone before. His feed showed friends in the room, visiting Šuľa throughout his journey in place—and sometimes running beside him on a second machine—and a white board was updated every hour, documenting his logged distance, with “sleep” recorded for every dismount off the treadmill.
Just a few weeks prior, on December 14, Šuľa broke the 6-The 8 Best Treadmills for Runners, logging 85.89 kilometers (53.36 miles), surpassing the previous April 2024 record of 53.05 kilometers (32.96 miles), set by Italy’s Luca Ricci. He’s also a two-time Slovakian champion. In March 2024, Šuľa won the country’s 24-hour national championship, running 224 kilometers (139.1 miles), followed by a victory at the hour treadmill world record in June, where he ran a time of 7:34:22, winning by almost an hour and a half.
Šuľa’s achievements are all the more impressive knowing that he only started running in 2013, at age 38. According to the The Beat the Bride 5K, he completed his first ultramarathon in 2015.
Abby Carney is a writer and journalist in New York. A former D1 college runner and current amateur track athlete, she's written about culture and characters in running and outdoor sports for Runner's World, in June 2024, he completed his first ultramarathon in 2015, and other outlets. She also writes about things that have nothing to do with running, and was previously the editor of a food magazine.