Norwegian man breaks his own record after running 167 miles on treadmill in 24 hours

For some, every minute on the treadmill feels like an hour – but for Bjørn Tore Kronen Taranger (Norway), record-breaking feats on the treadmill are all in a day’s work.

This accomplished athlete is a beast on the belt, and last November he took home his second Guinness World Records title for greatest distance run on a treadmill in 24 hours (male) after running 270.16 km (167.87 mi) in just one day. That’s nearly the distance from Paris, France to Belgium! 

Bjørn is no stranger to these intense runs, since he first broke the record title in 2018 with a 264.52 km (164.36 mi) race. 

But as he grew older, and his stamina improved, he wanted to take another shot at his record-breaking number.

So the 45-year-old took to the treadmill on 14 November at a hotel in Drammen, Norway – and similarly to last time, he had some external motivation. 

In his 2018 attempt, Bjørn raised money for children at the Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, which amassed over $12,000 in donations throughout his run. 

“I wanted to do it for all the kids that cannot walk, have heart failure, cancer, and more – for all the kids that cannot do what I can,” he said to Runner’s World.

This time, he chose to raise money for the Norwegian mental health charity Mental Helse, which aims to increase awareness and support for those with mental health issues. 

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On the day of the event, the 10-time Norwegian champion ultramarathon runner arrived early to his base, and began setting up his treadmill for the challenge.

Bjørn prepared by tapering off his long runs in the weeks prior to the task, and carb-loading – for the last attempt, he sustained himself on interesting nutrition choices like cheese pizza, salty ham and candy, tomatoes, and Coca-Cola.

He also kept the music blasting – playing tunes from rock bands like Yellowcard, the Foo Fighters, Nomy, and his own band, Goldenboy.

“You have to work hard mentally,” he said.

Nevertheless, Bjørn was able to break his record at the end, and pushed past the proverbial finish line in the early hours of 14 November. 

Surrounding him was a crowd of supportive family, friends, trainers, and loved ones, who were so proud of their determined runner.

Congratulations again on this incredible achievement, Bjørn – you are Officially Amazing!