Dubai: Wendelin Lauxen, the Dubai-based ultra-marathon runner who ran through the seven emirates in just 12 days last January, is on course to complete another record.
The 50-year-old German national, who ran 573.5km across the UAE in 81 hours and 53 minutes, is now poised to break the world record for the fastest completion of seven ultra-marathons throughout all seven of the world's continents.
Provided he can complete in the 65km Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town, South Africa, tomorrow in an expected six to seven hours, Lauxen would have broken the current record — held by Canada's Richard Takata at 29 days and 16 hours — by some 12 hours.
Having started the first marathon in the Antarctic on March 9 (5:48) Lauxen, a former nurse and now founder of his own health care company, missed the flight for Benguela Weskus Marathon in Langebaan, South Africa, on March 17, almost ended his quest for World Record honours.
However, completion of the World Down's Syndrome Marathon in Furth, Germany, on March 18 (4:22) and the Dual Motutapu Marathon in Auckland, New Zealand, on March 24 (5:49) put things back on track.
He went on to run the River City Marathon in Sacramento, US, on March 25 (4:07), the Tel Aviv Marathon in occupied Palestine on March 30 (4:24) and the Santiago Marathon in Chile on April 1 (4:10). This takes him to Cape Town, with six continents complete, in good time to set a new world record.
Like his seven emirates run, which raised Dh50,000 for a Palestinian child teenager born with a musculoskeletal deformity, Lauxen is again raising funds and awareness for the Little Wings Foundation and the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund to help children with walking disabilities, prosthetic limbs and orthoses.
Inspiration
The man who hails Forrest Gump as his inspiration said: "Seeing the happiness of the first boy I helped [17-year-old Diya Al Aster] compensated me for all the effort after the seven emirates run and gave me strength for additional relief activities.
"With this latest project I would like to draw attention to other things in the world that the children there [Palestine] deserve. I would like to give them a chance in their lives and we can all make an important contribution of our support to this cause."
For more information follow Wendelin on www.wendelinlauxen.com and www.7continentsrun.com.
