I ran marathons on seven continents in a week in memory of my brother

Bobby White, a 45-year-old runner from Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, completed seven marathons on seven continents in seven days, starting in Antarctica on January 31, 2025, and finishing in Miami on February 6, 2025, in memory of his teenage brother Anton who died in 2004 and to raise money for Glasgow Hospital Children's Charity. The property investor self-funded the $49,500 USD (£36,749) World Marathon Challenge, which has been completed by less than 250 people worldwide, achieving an average marathon time of 5:09:58 across all seven 26.2-mile races. Bobby's remarkable journey began at Ultima Base in Antarctica before taking him to Cape Town, South Africa; Perth, Australia; Dubai, UAE; Madrid, Spain; Fortaleza, Brazil; and concluding in Miami, US, covering 183 miles (295 km) and spending approximately 68 hours in the air during the seven-day period. Despite the physical and mental challenges, Bobby nearly abandoned the challenge in Antarctica during his most anticipated marathon, where his calves severely cramped just 5-6km into the race. 'My calves blew up 5 to 6km in and caused me a whole lot of problems to the point I thought I was going to DNF [Did Not Finish] and probably not start the second,' he revealed. 'I kind of went into a deep, dark place. I cried. I had put so much into this.' However, a chance encounter with another runner named Serge, who was also participating in memory of his late son, provided the motivation needed to continue. 'He saw me on the start line in Cape Town and I had been crying on the way down. There was 500m to walk and he just said 'I can see you are in pain. You are going to need to find the strength to do this,'' Bobby recalled. The highlights of Bobby's extraordinary journey included crossing the finish line with relatives in Australia and completing the marathon in Madrid, which he described as his favorite course of the week. Having lost his younger brother Anton to an undiagnosed heart condition when Bobby was in his early 20s and Anton was just 15, the runner channeled his grief into meaningful action. 'He was 15 years old and just getting to the good part of his life. He was the best wee brother ever. Grief still lasts to this day. It's hard,' Bobby shared. His family has raised more than £100,000 for the Glasgow Hospital Children's Charity since Anton's death, with Bobby's latest challenge already generating over £32,000 through his JustGiving page. 'I wanted to repay the charity and we have been fundraising ever since,' Bobby explained, adding that he felt compelled to undertake a more significant challenge after previously completing regular marathons. 'This time I really wanted to commit fully to something big. One marathon was not going to be enough for me personally.'