Super fit lawyer continues to run after completing 1,000 ultramarathons in 1,000 days
When life gets busy, maintaining daily habits can feel like a challenge.
Yet Shannon-Leigh Litt from New Zealand has been making consistency look easy, with much more than just a quick, simple task…
Despite working full-time as a criminal defence lawyer and being mostly self-sufficient, Shannon has gone on a run every day for 1,000 days.
And they weren’t just short jogs either… she would always cover at least 51 km (31.7 mi)!
The Whangārei woman told GWR: “I think I have done about 52,000 km [32,311 mi] over the [last] two years and nine months.”
That’s roughly 30% greater than the Earth’s equatorial circumference, which is 40,075 km (24,901 mi)!
“I have gone through probably 100 pairs of sneakers,” she added.
When Shannon set out to attempt the most consecutive days to run an ultra-marathon distance (female), her initial goal was 250.
The mark to beat was 200, by American runner Candice Burt.
She logged her first run on 1 January 2024, and by early April, had surpassed the male version of this title: 100 days, by David Jackson (UK).
Six weeks before starting the record, Shannon unexpectedly qualified for the 100 km World Championships after achieving one of the fastest finishes by a New Zealand woman – 8 hr 29 min 5 sec.
She had spent 14 years training for this event and usually fell short. Yet, despite finally having the chance to take part, Shannon decided to forfeit her entry and focus on her world record attempt.
The 47-year-old explained: “It is hard to balance a running week with work because work always comes up.
“I needed to stay in a routine, and for the first couple of years, I was getting up super early to do it.”
Shannon would often start her ultras between 1 and 4 a.m., and they would take her between five-and-a-half to six-and-a-half hours to complete.
Even her later runs were only taking an admirable eight-and-a-half hours!
As Shannon began the attempt in New Zealand, she had to complete every subsequent run in line with their time zone, as stated in the GWR guidelines.
For example, when she went to Bali, she needed to complete her ultramarathon by 8 p.m.
During the attempt, Shannon also visited countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai and Australia.
As for sleep, the lawyer revealed: “At the weekends, I usually [got] 10 hours.”
However, on weekdays, this would sometimes drop down to three or four hours.
“I tried to bank sleep at the weekends.”
Shannon faced all kinds of challenges throughout the attempt, from nearly developing hypothermia in Austria to dealing with extreme heats of around 40°C (104°F) elsewhere.
Most recently, on day 999, she left her house at 5:40 a.m. to run with a friend and quickly realized she had forgotten one of her watches. It was only when Shannon returned home that she noticed she also didn’t have her keys with her, so she had to wait for a locksmith and delay her run.
Fortunately, the ultra-runner managed to complete her miles later that day. She also went on to finish her final jog the following day faster than anticipated.
To fuel her body, Shannon would often eat 5,500 calories a day.
For context, a single serving of pasta is around 270 calories!
Read more stories about record-breaking athletes in our Sports and Fitness section.
Reflecting on her experience, Shannon shared: “The reaction of family and friends has not always been positive. They thought I should stop at the 200 mark.
“However, it just shows that you do need to focus on what is important to you and what is right for you and not everyone will always support you. Often, it is coming from a place of love, rather than negativity. And wanting you to be healthy.”
The lawyer added: “The best part has been running with the community and being part of a big wider family of runners.”
Ahead of her 1,000th run, she said: “I am feeling good coming into it. I am really looking forward to not running 51 km a day.”
With the world record accomplished, Shannon told 1 News she’s excited for a “complete change next year”.
But for now, she’s going to continue running daily marathons for the next couple of weeks… and maybe even claim the marathon version of this title.