Running 104 marathons in 104 days, blade runner Jacky Hunt-Broersma has become a leader in the amputee community and an inspiration to runners everywhere.
Most people never dream of running a marathon once in their life. Jackie Hunt Brewersma Just ran 104 marathons in 104 consecutive days. Not only did she break the world record, she did so by amputating her limbs using an artificial blade.
Hunt-Broersma lost her leg more than 20 years ago to a rare type of cancer. Although she was not a runner at first, she was drawn to the sport later in adulthood, which helped break down the stigma surrounding her disability.
why not?
“It’s kind of one of those things that I wanted to see if I could do, to be honest.” Hunt-Broersma told FanSided. “When you first became an amputee, you were put in that box, well, now you’re disabled, and that kind of breaks that stigma a little bit.”
“No, I can do difficult things. This is me, this is what I can do. I hope we inspire more people with this. If I can do that, I do all the challenges I want to take on.”
In her 104 marathons, Hunt-Broersma ran 2,728 miles, which will truly transport you from Atlanta, Georgia to…Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The Empire of the South Country to the capital of one of the Central American countries. Absolutely incredible!
While she was still accomplishing what she had planned to do, Hunt-Broersma managed to bring a great deal of awareness to her. GoFundMe. It was created to raise funds for Blade amputee runners To help those who can’t get blades otherwise. Synthetic blade costs about $10,000 and is not covered by insurance. This is an accessory, not a guitar.
RXBAR She absorbed what Hunt-Broersma was doing and made a huge financial contribution.
104 Marathons in 104 Days: Jacky Hunt-Broersma, Pioneer of Blade Runners
“I started with a really small goal, like, I wanted to make at least $10,000 because running the blades is really expensive,” Hunt-Broersma said. And health insurance sees that as a luxury in the United States, which is pretty stupid. So I kind of wanted to give back, to see if we can help one athlete, that would be great.”
“Just before I did 104, RXBAR texted me and said, ‘You know what? We want to be involved and we’ll match the donations, which totally surprised me. I’m so thankful that we realized an incredible $193,000.”
This is Hunt-Broersma’s reaction to the news that RXBAR will match GoFundMe contributions.
The really cool part about this is that someone will be able to enjoy all the great benefits that come from running. As a runner, nothing gives you mental clarity after dedicating an hour or so to pounding the pavement and enjoying an easy 5k. In a world where chaos is increasing by the nanosecond, Hunt-Broersma has found the clarity she once did after discovering running.
“I did, I definitely did. I wish I could find jogging on my journey soon,” Hunt-Broersma said. “It gives you clarity and kind of also gives you new love for your body, especially as an amputee. I’m surprised I’m actually getting things done instead of just sitting on the couch and doing nothing.”
Even to think of running 104 marathons in 104 days, you have to treat this like a job. You must be mentally prepared. Above all, you have to take care of yourself. This includes proper hydration, nutrition, rest, recovery, and every little thing in between, too. As much as if this trip to 104 was more mentally or physically draining, it was clearly the previous one for Hunt-Prowersma.
“It was 100 percent more mental than physical. It’s one of those weird things where I go into this, I thought my body was going to let me down more than my mental side. I definitely shifted. It was a lot more mental. When I ran the 50th marathon and I was like” you know what? It’s okay to stop now. 50 is a good number… you have to be careful or you’ll cut yourself.”
In the immediate aftermath since shattering the world record, Hunt-Broersma has stunned the outpouring of support and constant emails about how many random people she has inspired in her quest for 104th. The impact she made in the first one-third of the year won’t be immediately appreciated. As with a marathon, this is not a sprint. It is a trip worth enjoying.
Next time someone says you can’t do something, think 104 marathons in 104 days.
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