A 55-year-old who ran a marathon every day in 2024 says the toughest part was mental

Hilde Dosogne’s ambitious goal for last year would humble most of our New Year’s resolutions.

At the start of 2024, the Belgian set out to hold the record as the first woman to run a marathon every single day of the year — 366 in total (it was a leap year). On Dec. 31, the 55-year-old finished her last 26.2 miles of the year in Ghent, Belgium.

To make it official, Dosogne is working to submit evidence of her mileage, including GPS data, images and witness reports, to Guinness World Record officials.

Dosogne is used to running extreme distances. She completed the 153-mile Spartathlon in Greece in 2022 and 2023. So, she didn’t feel the need to specifically train for the year-long goal.

Even so, she said she wasn’t prepared for what lay ahead.

“I must say, I really — I underestimated it,” she said in an interview on Saturday with All Things Considered host Scott Detrow. “The toughest part was actually the mental part of being at the start line every day again,” she said.

The physical challenges also weren’t easy. Dosogne did it all while working part-time and caring for a family of five.

“I realized I needed much more sleep than usual,” she said.

Fitting in naps during her lunch break helped, she said.

Along the way, she raised more than 65,000 euros (over $67,000) for breast cancer research, according to the charity BIG Against Breast Cancer.

In signing herself up for the challenge, Dosogne said she wanted to push her own limits. She also wanted to inspire other people to push theirs, too.

Her advice for those just starting out running? Have patience.

“Just build it up gradually, and you will see the benefits,” she said. “Don’t expect miracles in a short time.”

Guinness World Records says its standard application review process for records takes about 12-15 weeks. Hugo Farias, a Brazilian, holds the male record for 366 days, which he accomplished in 2023.

For now, Dosogne is taking a bit of a break from running, per doctor’s orders. She’s recovering from a minor hamstring injury.

“He told me maybe I should rest a couple more weeks until I start running again,” she said. “But I think I will cycle a little bit.”