Men of Action: 7 Marathons in 7 Countries in 4 Days

When an immigration officer at Sydney International Airport asked Richard Donovan if he had visited any other countries in the last six days, the response he got was extremely unexpected.

Richard had turned up in Australia to complete the final stretch of his World Marathon, which he had started only four days ago.

Beginning in -20C temperatures in the Antarctic, at the Russian Novo base. There he ran a 42km marathon, which was only the start of his epic journey. One he finished the first stretch, flew to Cape Town, South Africa to continue his World Marathon. Then on to Sao Paulo, Orlando in the USA, London in the UK, Hong Kong and finally arriving in Sydney.

Richard had run the World Marathon before, completing 7 marathons in 7 countries in 5 days, 10 hours and 8 minutes. Impressive as this is, he beat his own record when he completed his latest effort in Sydney.

Not only competing with the endurance needed to run a marathon, Richard also had to adapt to changing time zones and fluctuating temperatures. Fatigue was his major opponent, but Richard finished the challenge in 4 days, 22 hours and 3 minutes and had run a total of 183 miles.

An excellent story of endurance and commitment. Richard ran the marathon to highlight the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa and raise money for Irish-based charity organisation GOAL.

To donate to Richard's cause, visit www.worldmarathonchallenge.com