Ultrarunner Sophie Power sets new 48-hour treadmill world record
This is the moment for the treadmill. A great indoor training tool for the colder and darker winter months, the treadmill helps you to focus on form, pace, heart rate and other running metrics in a safe and controlled environment, away from the distractions and obstacles of the outdoors.
The treadmill is also a place where you can test your limits – and among the people who know this from experience is ultrarunner and campaigner Sophie Power, who ran a staggering 370.9km (230.5 miles) on a treadmill in just two days, non-stop, at this year’s National Running Show. In doing so, she set a new women’s 48-hour treadmill world record and proved that people are capable of anything they set their mind (and feet) to, no matter how daunting the challenge may seem at the offset.
Power’s extraordinary two-day treadmill feat – which started at 2:30pm on Friday 24 January and culminated, after a near-continuous stint of running, at 2:30pm on Sunday 26 Sunday – eclipsed the previous women’s 48-hour mark of 340.4km (211.2 miles). It has already been verified by Guinness World Records.
Power is no stranger to ultra-long-distance challenges, though – or to breaking world records. Having already completed well over 50 ultramarathons, including the fabled 106-mile UTMB, she become the fastest-ever women to run the length of Ireland in June last year, completing the 558km (347-mile) stretch in just three days, 12 hours and eight minutes. She shaved more than three hours off the previous women’s record.
Power is also a prominent voice for women in sport and the founder of SheRACES, an organisation that drives gender equality in running events and empowers more women to take their places on start lines.
‘Fresh’ from her latest National Running Show endeavour, we caught up with Power to discuss her reasons for taking on such an extreme treadmill challenge – and why it’s about so much more than breaking a record.
From one challenge to the next
‘I thought it was quite a long time after running up Ireland that I thought about doing this 48-hour treadmill run,’ reflected Power. ‘But it was actually only 10 days after I finished up in Ireland that I contacted Mike Seaman, CEO of The National Running Show, about doing this. And we all know that we shouldn’t be making any decision in the first two weeks after a challenge!’
Joking aside, Power knew that she wanted to embark on a challenge that would allow her to meet and positively impact even more people than before. ‘In Ireland, I saw how many people joined me on the road – not necessarily traditional runners or ultrarunners, either,’ she said. ‘I saw how many women came out and were inspired by this challenge – it gave them belief that they could get over barriers and take on something hard as well.
‘But only so many people could join me out in Ireland and the logistics of the challenge were tough,’ she continued. ‘I wanted to do something that could connect with more people – even kids – and last for more than 24 hours. The National Running Show seemed like the perfect venue for that.’
Treadmill running tactics
Running on a stationary treadmill for any length of time can require some enthusiasm – so it’s no surprise that Power found it ‘really difficult’ to stay motivated to run on the same machine for two days straight.
‘I find treadmills good for speed sessions, as you can set the speed to go up or down, but you can’t do that with a challenge like this,’ she recalled. ‘I’d saved up episodes of The Traitors and tried watching those while I ran, but then I just hit a massive downer!
‘The strategy for this 48-hour challenge was to treat it and run it as a normal 24-hour race,’ added Power. ‘I think I went through 24 hours in about 228km, which is pretty typical for me, but I knew that the last 24 hours would involve risk. In fact, I was falling off the treadmill because I was so tired. So, I front-loaded the distance a bit. I tried to get some rest before the challenge started, but that was really hard, as the atmosphere of the event was so surreal.
‘In Ireland, whenever I went for a nap, I would fall asleep immediately. But at the National Running Show, the first six naps were a failure. I’d get off the treadmill and lie down for 10 or 15 minutes at a time, but still not be able to fall asleep. So, although it was time off feet, it was still wasted time. That was really frustrating.’
Thankfully, through day and night, Power was accompanied by a stream of supporters, with many even running alongside her on a separate treadmill for small periods at a time. ‘Because I was on a treadmill and couldn’t go anywhere, everyone had to come to me – and that was great. It meant that the who’s who of running royalty – like Jasmin Paris, Russ Cook and Colin Jackson – came over to chat to me, which was a lot of fun. Another benefit was that it helped to take my mind off the challenge!’
Power’s 48-hour challenge also doubled as a research case study for female athletes, conducted by Liverpool John Moores University. This meant that she was frequently visited by a team of student scientists, led by Dr Jamie Pugh, who did various physiological tests on her along the way.
‘That was part of my thinking – if you’re running on a treadmill, you’re in one place and it’s easier to do these tests and learn something about female athletes and how they respond physiologically to challenges like this,’ says Power. ‘Only 6% of sports science is done solely on female athletes. I know that what we did here is just one case study, but maybe we’ll learn something from it that someone else will pick up and want to do a wider research project on.’
The world record as a footnote
Despite bagging the Guinness World Records title for the longest distance run on a treadmill in 48 hours by a woman, breaking this record was anything but Power’s priority.
‘This was never about the world record – records never really make you feel any different. My kids, of course, wanted me to get the record, as it was ‘show and tell’ for them,’ she laughed. ‘But for me, it was very much about getting out there to talk about SheRaces and women taking on challenging things – and to let women know that it’s fine for them to ask for support if it’ll help them to reach their goals.’
Power’s biggest support continues to come from her husband, her children and her long-term rock, Kate Strong. ‘Without Kate, this wouldn’t have happened,’ mused Power. ‘She was my support cyclist in Ireland and, for this two-day challenge at the National Running Show, she did all the paperwork, all the organising of the team and crew – absolutely everything. We need help to do these challenges, and we can ask for it.’
The next steps
Having represented Great Britain at the 24-Hour World Championships in Taiwan last year, Power now hopes to be selected again for the 2025 competition, which will take place in France in October. Since this is her main goal for the year, it made sense for Power to do the 48-hour treadmill challenge in January, as this now gives her enough time to recover and build up her base speed in time for the 24-hour race.
‘I also signed up to the Cork City Marathon at the end of May to help me become a faster and more efficient runner,’ she added. ‘I’ve never actually raced a 5K, 10K, half marathon or marathon before, so it’ll be quite different. I’ve definitely got to the point where I’m less interested in races than I am in challenges, so I don’t think I’ll like it too much – I like my four-hour track runs!’
Ultra-distance running does appear to be a family affair, though. ‘I also entered my husband into a 100-mile race in mid-May, which I think he’s quite excited about,’ continued Power. ‘When you have a partner, it’s nice to take it in turns to do things – and now it’s definitely his time to train and do things, so I’ll be supporting him in his next venture.
‘I’ve also got the SheRaces trail series in the first weekends of June, July and August this summer, where I’ll be at the finish line and seeing things from the other side. It’s always exciting to see the impact that these events have on people – it’s just amazing. It’ll be really fun to take a step back and enjoy everyone else’s achievements this year.’
While, literally speaking, running on the treadmill takes you on the road to nowhere, Power has proven that you can still cover an immense amount of ground – and inspire a huge number of people – on that single rotating belt.
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