Wardian wins World Marathon Challenge for third time

Nine years ago, local ultra-marathoner Mike Wardian of Arlington, Va., and Rehoboth Beach entered one of the hardest races in the world, called the World Marathon Challenge, better known as the 777 World Marathon Challenge. It is a worldwide event that pushes an athlete’s body and mind to the limit. Anyone who knows Mike knows he is game for any challenge.

The World Marathon Challenge comprises seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. It is not only a physical endurance event, but also a unique challenge with plenty of logistics to go along with it. All the athletes fly on the same plane and do their best to consume enough calories to get through the week. Competitors will run the standard 26.2-mile marathon distance across Antarctica, Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe, South America and North America – all within 168 hours.

This year was the ninth annual event and marked Wardian’s third. He won the first two he took part in, in 2017 and 2019. He averaged 2:46 per marathon in 2017, which is still the current record. This year’s event began in a snowstorm on Antarctica, with 11 miles racing into 40 mph winds. Wardian won four of the seven events, capturing the second event Feb. 1 in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2:49:37; the fifth event Feb. 4 in Madrid, Spain, in 2:53:09; the sixth event Feb. 5 in Fortaleza, Brazil, in 3:09:53; and the seventh event Feb. 6 in Miami, Fla., in 2:56:45. Wardian finished in 21:34:32, averaging 3:04 for his seven marathons this time around with a total time 8:04 ahead of second-place Shengxian Wang of China, who was timed in 21:42:36.

In addition to winning the event, Wardian also competed against a small handful of athletes that added an 8K each day and completed 50K for seven straight days for an attempt on the 50K x 7 world record. Wardian had a final time after seven challenging days of 26:40:16 to shatter the world record by 4:38:47. The previous record was held by Christian Brown Johnson in 31:25:37.  

“It meant so much to me be able to win the World Marathon Challenge for the third time,” Wardian said. “I chose to do the World Marathon Challenge in 2026 to break the 50K Guinness World Record for 7 x 50Ks in seven days on seven continents, and it was my first time doing and winning an ultra-marathon on all seven continents. I really was excited to have had the chance to represent the United States, the City of Arlington and Rehoboth Beach in international competition.”

Wardian has some big events planned for 2026. Most notable is the Pacific Crest Trail Run in July. The 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail from Canada to Mexico is an elite ultramarathon feat, with the fastest known time set at 46 days, 12 hours, 50 minutes, achieved by Karel Sabbe, who averaged more than 58 miles per day. The trail includes extreme heat in the desert; steep, high-altitude mountain terrain; and, in some cases, challenging terrain after wildfires.

Following the PCT event, Wardian will switch focus to the World’s Toughest Row event he has planned for 2027. This event is widely considered the world's toughest rowing race, consisting of an unsupported, 3,000-mile ocean crossing. Primarily held across the Atlantic from the Canaries to Antigua, this annual event pushes teams to their limits with 6-meter waves, 24-hour rowing and extreme physical exhaustion.

“I love racing at the beach all summer, and I was able to use those experiences to fuel me as I raced around the world against athletes from all over the world,” Wardian said. “I hope to see some of you this summer and look forward to being out there with the incredible Delaware running community.”