PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Seven marathons on seven continents in just seven days: A St. Pete runner recently checked that off her bucket list by finishing the World Marathon Challenge.
Kelly-Ann Jenkins completed the challenge two weeks ago.
"I heard about the World Marathon Challenge from a friend of mine," said Jenkins. "In 2020, when we were shut down for COVID, I was like, I'm looking for something to keep me motivated, to keep me focused, and I reached out to the race director and decided to sign up," Jenkins said she trained for over two and a half years. She was initially supposed to run it in 2021, but with COVID, the plans were pushed.
Finally, the challenge was on. The first race was in Antarctica, followed by Cape Town, South Africa; Perth, Australia; Dubai, UAE; Madrid, Spain; Fortaleza, Brazil; and ended in Miami.
Jenkins said the most challenging part was running in Antarctica.
"It hit -25 while we were there," said Jenkins. "I'm a Florida girl, so my plan was just to go slow and steady. Just get it done. Think of it more as a hike, as an outdoor adventure race, and it was really cold and snowy and windy when we were there, so it was even more challenging than I anticipated."
The global challenge wasn't without its hiccups either.
"Pretty much nothing went smoothly, but the race director really handled everything," Jenkins said. "It was really about giving up a little bit of control along the journey. We couldn't control what happened. There were logistical issues, but all we had to do was focus on running, and in doing that, it makes it pretty easy to get through it."
Jenkins explained that crossing the final finish line was well worth it.
"I think one of the best parts is I was running this to raise money for MS," said Jenkins. "My sister had been diagnosed with MS. She was at the finish line as a surprise."
Jenkins said she'd raised $25,000 in this challenge.
