Adventurer breaks two records across seven continents to raise over £40,000 for charity
Louis Alexander (UK) is extraordinary.
The 25-year-old has become the first person to run a marathon distance on seven continents and swim a staged marathon in classical seven seas.
If that’s not impressive enough, the professional explorer and adventurer completed it in record speed also breaking the title for the fastest time to run a marathon distance on seven continents and swim a staged marathon in classical seven seas completing it in just 633 days.
He started his marathon runs in Agafay Desert in Morocco, ending in Antarctica.
For his marathon swims, he started in the Red Sea and finished in the UK’s North Sea.
He took up the global challenge for a global cause, raising money for Alzheimer’s Research UK to support ‘everyday heroes’.
The cause is particularly close to his heart as his grandfather Captain Rick Taylor sadly passed away from the disease. He had the dream in his retirement to climb Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro.
Louis took it upon himself to honour his grandfather’s dreams with this worldwide record attempt.
In December 2023, Louis completed his 14-month journey to run a marathon on all seven continents.
The final list of locations included: the Agafay Desert in Africa, Wadi Rum in Asia, Alaska in North America, the Australian Outback in Oceania, the Amazon Rainforest in South America, the Arctic Circle in Europe and Union Glacier in Antarctica.
Then in July 2024, he completed the sequel to his running marathons by swimming seven marathons across the classical Seven Seas: The Red Sea, The Arabian Sea, The Aegean Sea, The Adriatic Sea, The Black Sea, The Mediterranean Sea and the North Sea.
He completed a marathon distance of 42.2 km (26.2 miles) on each of the seven continents. Additionally, he swam a distance of 10 km (6.21 miles) in each of the seven seas.
Louis faced a battle with the elements from heat and humidity to snow and ice.
He says his toughest two swims were the Red and Arabian Seas. He swam in 31.6 C (88.88 F) degree heat which caused huge issues with dehydration.
The heat even caused his GPS devices to stop working and he had to restart the swim to make sure data was being tracked correctly.
While the adventure was a test of strength and endurance it was also a logistic feat, having finished his final swim with just four days to spare!
There’s no blueprint for preparing for marathons in the Amazon or Antarctic, says Louis, and his training goals focused on being as injury resistant as possible.
He took training and preparation at home very seriously, averaging eight-week training camps for most of the expeditions he’d face.
This included 10 hours of training and 10 hours a week of recovery and therapy, replicating the difficult conditions he’d face on the different continents.
He told us the most memorable part of his escapade was encountering the many different wildlife.
From squirrel monkeys and tarantulas in the jungle to vibrant and colourful fish corals below.
Louis was presented with his two Guinness World Records certificates at GWR HQ.
It’s a dream to be recognized by Guinness World Records. I have dedicated my life to my adventures, from the tough training camps and logistics at home to the risks taken on expeditions, these expeditions have been the greatest privilege and challenge of my life. It’s incredible to be recognized and I will not take this opportunity for granted [and] continue the momentum and use these records to make a difference.” – Louis Alexander
Louis ended up raising over £40,000 for the charity which he is very proud of and says that the greatest adventures are yet to come!