Australian covers world in 52 marathons

MELBOURNE - An Australian man, who ran one marathon a week across all seven continents, has completed 52 marathons in 52 weeks.

Tristan Miller received a hero’s welcome from supporters and entered the record books when he crossed the finish line at Albert Park Lake here, the Australian news agency AAP reported Monday.

The 33-year-old former Google employee from Melbourne sold virtually everything he owned to fund his $120,000, 42-country, globe-trotting marathon, which included all seven continents.

Just over a week ago, he was running with 35 other competitors in Antarctica’s “Ice Marathon”, the report said.

He started running six years ago following a divorce, but the catalyst came last year when he lost his sales job after Google closed its Melbourne office during the global financial crisis.

“I thought, I don’t have any attachments, I want to go and see the world … so it was going into the unknown,” he told AAP.

During the year he arrived in Costa Rica and discovered the race he was due to compete in had been cancelled.

He appealed for help on Facebook and an Argentinian man told him there was a race on in Mexico, and within a day he had flown there and was getting a lift to the event from another competitor.

“My philosophy all year was to break it down into the most simple terms: I just had to make sure I was there and then worry about the race when I get there,” he said.

The year’s highlights included finding a girlfriend and meeting people from around the world, many whom said he had inspired them.

“It had so many variables and so many issues attached to it and yet, the world kind of finds a way and makes it OK,” he said.

When asked about his favourite marathon, he said, New York where some of his Australian friends joined him and ran.

“New York City is just a city on steroids, the marathon itself is out of control, there’s two million people out there yelling at you just to make you keep running,” he said.

Miller raised about $15,000 for Unicef and Facing Africa.