A 24-hour run is a form of ultramarathon, in which a competitor runs as far as they can in 24 hours. They are typically held on 1- to 2-mile loops or occasionally 400-meter tracks.
Top runners will often run or more, depending on conditions, and the best can go beyond . Some participants will have a crew to help them, but others just set up a camp with all the gear and supplies they need near the starting area to access each loop. Often 24-hour events are combined with 6-, 12-, and 48-hour events. 24-hour runs have also been held in relay formats, with runners completing a mile each in succession for 24 hours. Often these events are not internationally sanctioned, and are more for charitable purposes.Bangor Daily News, Bangor, Maine, USA, Style Section, Page 17, "Marathon to raise money for American Cancer Society"
The world records for the event on all surfaces are 319.614 km (198.598 miles) for men, set by Aleksandr Sorokin of Lithuania in 2022 and 278.622 kilometers (173.127 miles) for women, set by Sarah Webster of Great Britain in 2025.
Competitions The first international championship was held 3–4 February 1990 in Milton Keynes, England.'Running' April 1990, Volume 108, p.6 A full continental championship was formed in 1992 as the IAU 24 Hour European Championships.All-Time Winners . International Association of Ultrarunners. Retrieved on 21 March 2015.
The IAU 24 Hour World Championship is the pinnacle of competition in the 24-hour run. The first IAU Individual Track Championships were held in San Giovanni Lupatoto, Verona, Italy on 22–23 September 2001.Michiels, Paul & Milroy, Andy (7 May 2013). IAU 24 Hour Championships . Association of Road Running Statisticians. Retrieved on 2015-03-21.
The German website DUV lists 160 24-hour races that were scheduled for 2012, a figure that has doubled over the last 10 years. The longest running 24-hour race is the Self-Transcendence 24 Hour Race Ottawa, Canada which began in 1981.
See also One hour run 12-hour run Centurion Walk
References
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