A thrilling, front-row seat to one of the most grueling and awe-inspiring endurance events on the planet: the Great World Race.
Told through the eyes of its diverse and determined participants, Seven Marathons. Seven Continents. One Week. captures the heart-pounding adventure of The Great World Race where participants run marathons across seven continents in one grueling week.
At the center of this extraordinary tale is Ellen Hunter Gans, the first woman with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) to conquer the race. Her story is not just about finishing the race, it's about defying expectations, rewriting the rules of possibility, and showing the world what resilience truly looks like.
From the icy winds of Antarctica to the sun-scorched roads of South Africa, the bustling streets of Colombia, and beyond, each chapter immerses readers in a new continent, a new challenge, and a new story of grit, humor, and triumph.
Alongside Ellen, you'll meet fellow runners whose motivations range from personal redemption to global advocacy-each one proving that the human spirit knows no bounds. Ellen Hunter Gans is an Ironman triathlete, ultramarathon champion, and 40-time marathon finisher-including seven marathons on seven continents in one week (on the Great World Race). She ran four of those seven with a venomous spider bite that she mistook for a torn ligament. The Twin Cities-based freelance writer has spent more than 15 years helping major brands tell their stories. She holds advanced degrees from the London School of Economics and the University of Southern California. Ellen lives with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a genetic connective tissue disorder that is wholly incompatible with running. She believes limits are mostly just suggestions that talk too loudly.
