Matthieu Bonne sets new Six-Day World record.
The Belgian runner, Matthieu Bonne has set a new world record for the 6 day distance. He ran 1046.31 Km, or 650.146 Miles, at the GOMU/EMU 6 day world championship event held in Balaton in Hungary.
This surpassed the long held record of the Greek, Yiannis Kouros who had run 1036.800Km/644.23 Miles back in 2005.
Running on a certified loop measuring 898.88 metres, he completed 1,164 complete laps.
WHO IS Matthieu Bonne?
The 30 year old’s achievements are not limited to ultra running having had success in long bike rides and ultra open water swims.
These have included swimming the English Channel between England and France, in a respectable 12 hours 47 minutes, in September 2019, and the longest non-stop ocean swim in September 2023, when he swam 131 km in Greece.
In the cycling world he has completed non-stop 1000km rides and a 7 day rides in Arizona.
Throw in climbs of the Eiger and the Matterhorn and you start to get a picture of an all round adventurer.
His own website proclaims,
“ I am addicted to Ultra-endurance sports.My goal is to extend my physical limits in water, on the bike and while running”
Having run the Marathon des Sables in 2018, finishing in 231st place, other adventures on the bike and in the water seem to have taken precedence but 2024 seems to be the year Bonne committed to transcending himself in the running world.
The 6 day record developed into a goal.
In March 2024 he competed in the 6 day race in Merelbecke in Belgium. In a small field he won with a distance of 793.200 km. Competent but not earth shattering.
He really came on several peoples radar in the running world when he won the Trasna Na Uaireanta, 24 hour race at Lexlip in Irelandon 4th August, recording 275.250 km/171.032 Miles. This distance had ranked him second in the world this year, prior to Matt Field’s 283 km and British record at the recent Gloucester race relegated hin to Third.
While many athletes would take a few months out after a stellar 24 hour race, Bonne seems to have used it as a stepping stone to the 6 day race and targeting Kouros’s record.
Bonne became only the 7th athlete in 10 performances, to surpass 1,000km since the modern records of 6 day running began.Kouros holds four of those top ten distances.
His daily splits for the six day record are in the table below
The customary, exuberant first day, where he ran 238 km, seems to have settled into a steady routine of around 90-100 miles a day. A final 103 .89 miles as a final flourish to go beyond Kouros’s previous record with around an hour and 20 minutes to spare.
Elsewhere in the race Poland’s Bartosz Fudali completed 842.733 km for second place, with the home countries Beda Szabolcs 818.879 km finishing out the podium.
The ladies champion was Hungary’s Maraz Szuzsanna with 805.555 km. Like Bonne’s distance,it is subject to the usual ratifiaction but appears to be a World best for FV50.
Her compatriot Viktoria Brown, ran 719.263km for second and Germany’s Andrea Mahner 666.631 for third.
Until this year, the top 8 womens 6-day performances were dominated by Sandy Barwick, (2 distances) Eleanor Robinson (4 distances ) and Dipali Cunningham also with 2 distances, all dating from 20-30 years ago.
This year the two Americans joined the party. Megan Eckert, running 846.999km in June in Milwaukee followed up Camille Herron becoming the first women to break 900km with 901.768 km at La Quinta in May,.
Then just 10 days ago, Denmark’s Stine Rex ran 913.613 km in an event in her home country, a mark that is pending ratification by the International Association of Ultrarunners. IAU Statement link HERE
Once all results from Hungary are confirmed, there are sure to be several more new national and age group records waiting to be ratified.
The renewed interest and the aspirations of runners at all levels to break down previous barriers has certainly resulted in some remarkable performances.
Full GOMU/EMU results HERE
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Adrian Tarit Stott.
The author is a former GB 24 hour ultra international with over 100 ultra race completions. He has also been involved organising ultra distance races for over 30 years. Still an active recreational runner, he is currently a member of UKA’s Ultra Running Advisory Group (URAG) and part of the selection and team management for both Scottish and GB ultra teams.He is also a freelance writer in his spare time, contributing articles and reports to several websites and magazines including Athletics Weekly and Irunfar.
