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26th February 2020

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Competitors

2020 Competitors

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2020 Competitors

wdt_ID	First Name	Surname	Nationality	Bio
42	Luis	Allen	USA
43	Ashok	Arora	USA	Ashok has been running marathons for last 12 years. He is a proud father of two boys and husband of a loving wife who supports him in his running / adventure hobby with full heart. He has run Ironman triathlons, half Ironman triathlons, more than 47 full marathons and eight ultramarathons across the world. Ashok is dedicating the upcoming World Marathon Challenge to his younger brother, whom he lost unexpectedly a year ago.
44	Janine	Canham	GBR	Janine is of British / Lebanese heritage and a resident of Hong Kong for the past thirty years. She is part of the “Joint Dynamics-Gone Running” team in Hong Kong and was voted “Hong Kong’s Master Trail Runner of the Year” last year. Janine is an experienced athlete and has participated in many multi-stage races including: The 4 Desert Series, Marathon des Sables, Everest Trail Race, Costa Rica Coastal Challenge and many others. Additionally, she has run many marathons and ultras such as the Hong Kong 100, Oxfam Trailwalker, Comrades etc. Growing up as a child in a war zone, and having fled home at the age of 12, she can really relate to refugees who have been uprooted from their homes and lost everything they have. Hence, she is running to raise funds and awareness for a Hong Kong charity called RUN Hong Kong which supports local refugees and asylum seekers through the power of sport. At the same time as she is training for and running the WMC, runners in Hong Kong will be taking part in a mini 777 Challenge: running 7 marathons in 7 weeks as a way of raising funds for the refugees.
45	Linda	Carrier	USA	Linda is a 57-year-old who lives in Pinehurst, NC. She was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when she was 14 years old. She has run most of her life, starting with her first half marathon in 1995. To date, she has run 55 half marathons, 54 full marathons, one 50k and one 50 miler – running the 50 mile race the month she turned 50! Linda completed the World Marathon Majors in 2015 when she finished the Tokyo Marathon and followed up with the World Marathon Challenge in 2019. Linda’s next two challenges include running a marathon in all 50 states and completing the World Marathon Challenge the second time!
46	Gina	Chapman-Davies	AUS	Gina started running after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. In 2009 she ran the New York City marathon and enjoyed it so much that she ran it three more times. She went on to run other marathons including the 6 Abbott World Marathon majors. She is looking forward to a big adventure with similar enthusiasts from all over the world by participating in the World Marathon Challenge in 2020. It will be her way of celebrating her 60th birthday year.
47	Wing Keung	Chik	HKG	Wing Keung ran his first marathon in November 2014 when he completed the Antarctic Ice Marathon. Prior to the taking up running, he disliked the idea of running any distance but decided to challenge himself to run longer than 2km! With some more marathons under his belt, he became a member of both The 7 Continents Marathon Club and Grand Slam Club after completing the North Pole Marathon in April 2017. Wing Keung gained his second Grand Slam Club after completing the 2018 North Pole Marathon with a visually impaired runner. In April 2019, Wing Keung was team leader of a group of 20 Hong Kong runners, including three with ASD. The upcoming World Marathon Challenge competition will be his second time in the event, having completed the 2017 edition.
48	Roger	Comish	GBR	Roger has been running for as long as he can remember. His wife Carol managed to catch him in 1992 but he tragically lost her in 2019. Becky and Gary have helped him to keep going. Roger likes running non-stop and long but keeps getting distracted. Majors segued into continents into Comrades into canals and ultras. He hopes he can run across Britain from coast to coast one day. He was searching to run Antarctica when he discovered the World Marathon Challenge; what an incredible distraction...
49	Brian	Cronin	USA	Having lost his mother and aunt to cancer in 2011, Brian ran the Chicago Marathon in 2012 with the American Cancer Society Determination Team. Since then he has run 18 marathons, countless half marathons, and two Ironman 70.3 races. In 2016 he ran Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City Marathons, and so, as his grand finale, he is trying to raise $150,000 for the American Cancer Society via the World Marathon Challenge. He will be running with his friend and ACS teammate Keri Mandell. www.croninsmarathonsforacure.com
50	Lars	Crusius	GER	Lars runs a lot of half-marathons, marathons and 100K trail runs and has also finished three Ironman triathlons. Every year he looks forward to a new challenge for his mind and body, with this year’s challenge being the World Marathon Challenge.
51	Elaine	Du	CAN	Elaine started distance running in 2014 and completed the Gobi 80km multi-day race in October. She also finished a half marathon on the polar circle in 2015, and a half marathon distance on King George Island. Elaine is currently studying at BRS and co-founded a fashion brand for Millennials.
	First Name	Surname	Nationality	Bio

2019 Competitors

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2019 Competitors

wdt_ID	First Name	Surname	Nationality	Bio
1	Sara	Bennett	USA	Sara has run numerous marathons, including Berlin and the Great Wall in China. The busy attorney enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, snowboarding and adventure, with her greatest challenge being to balance her life professionally and personally. Sara, who is a mother of two, supports the Dementia Discovery Fund.
2	Matt	Buck	USA	Matt is from sunny San Diego where he currently has a demanding yet rewarding job in the biopharmaceutical industry developing drugs for rare diseases. Over the last 12 years he has dabbled in endurance races, mostly participating in local triathlons and marathons. Every few years he combines his interest in endurance races with his passion for international travel. Past adventures include IronMan South Africa and the Jungle Marathon, a 7-day foot race through the Amazon. Matt is looking forward to running all seven continents and then getting back to a normal schedule to have more time for family, friends and the piano.
3	Jun	Cao	CHN	Jun has over 28 years of mountaineering experience, including three journeys to the North and South poles, and a summit of Mount Everest in 2013. In 2014, he began running marathons. Since then he has completed more than 30 marathons, a 500km ultra, and 400 km on two occasions. Jun is the CEO of Huada Sports, Vice Chairman of Guangzhou Extreme Mountaineering Association, Executive Vice President of Shenzhen Mountaineering Outdoor Sports Association, and President of Shenzhen Public Welfare Rescue Volunteers Association. During his time at University, he joined the Peking University Eagle Society and served as the second president. In 1990, he climbed the Mt. Yuzhufeng in Qinghai Province, China and in 1998, he served as the captain of the Peking University's 100-year-old celebration of Zhuo'ao Youfeng Climbing Team.
4	Heather	Carr	USA	Heather has completed marathons on four continents - North America, South America, Europe, and Antarctica -, and at the North Pole. She loves trail running and plans to run her first 50-mile ultramarathon in June of 2019 in the Black Hills of South Dakota, her home state. Heather also has a stellar reputation for making the World Marathon Challenge Race Director, Richard Donovan, suffer immensely via her route planning for his transcontinental runs.
5	Linda	Carrier	USA	Linda is a 56-year-old who lives in Pinehurst, NC. She was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when she was 14 years old. She has run most of her life, starting with her first half marathon in 1995. To date, she has run 54 half marathons, 43 full marathons, one 50k and one 50 miler – running the 50 mile race the month she turned 50! Linda completed the World Marathon Majors in 2015 when she finished the Tokyo Marathon. Linda’s next two challenges include running a marathon in all 50 states and completing the World Marathon Challenge!
6	Kevin	Cochrane	USA	Kevin started running two years ago after a five year hiatus. After two months of running two or three miles a couple of times a week, Kevin moved from his home state of California to Florida and set a goal to run 3455 miles in 18 months - the exact distance from his home in San Francisco to Miami. He started racing again with his first marathon in Amsterdam in October 2017: Eight marathons and eight half-marathons later he branched out to run ultramarathons, including San Francisco, Zermatt, Keys100, Daytona100, and Rio Del Lago 100. He now looks to complete his 3455th mile at mile 26 in Miami at the conclusion of the World Marathon Challenge and bring attention and support to a cause near and dear to his heart, Charlize Theron's Africa Outreach Project (https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/charlize-theron-africa-outreach-project1/kevin-cochrane)
7	Mark	Cooper	AUS / USA	Mark is a lifelong runner who enjoys the many competitive, social and learning opportunities that come from combining travel with running. He has completed 75 marathons over the 7 continents, each providing its own enlightening exploration of the World. These journeys have provided many different and often unexpected perspectives that would otherwise have been inaccessible. Over the course of his running, Mark won a few individual marathons and some multi-day, multi-marathon events while also managing to crash and burn on some. Each race has been a learning experience. After completing the ‘Donovan Marathon Trinity’ (Antarctic Ice Marathon 2012, North Pole Marathon 2014, Volcano Marathon 2015), Mark was hooked on the idea of the World Marathon Challenge when Richard suggested “it is the next level”. Mark looks forward to attempting the challenge of the “next level”.
8	Michael	Crome	USA	Michael is a relative newbie to running. Running his first marathon in February 2016, he had insisted that he would do just one marathon to “check it off the bucket list” and be done. Fast forward to present day and he is still running. Michael has completed only three marathons in his lifetime, so the World Marathon Challenge will more than triple his marathon accomplishments in just one week! His motto will be “slow and steady.” He serves on several non-profit boards, including Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth (SAFY), an organization serving the needs of foster children, and he also serves on the Operations Board for Canyon Ridge Christian Church. He is running the WMC to raise money for Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada. You can learn more by going to https://jasnv.org/michaelcrome/. He is supported by his wife, Chaka Crome, and daughter Brie who have both been a part of the journey as he trains and prepares. He considers it an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to participate in such an amazing adventure.
9	Djalma	Moura	BRA	Djalma, 62, is a mining engineer from Brazil. He believes that sports transform, inspire and motivate people and he has completed 9 marathons to date, becoming time-qualified for the Boston Marathon. Djalma participated in the 2017 Antarctic Ice Marathon, crossing the final line in tenth place among the men's runners. Four months later he ran the 2018 North Pole Marathon, thus becoming the first Brazilian and South American over 60 years of age to complete both the southernmost and northernmost marathons on earth. He thanks Richard Donovan for making this dream come true. Djalma would like to use his participation in the World Marathon Challenge to honor the Brazilian flag and all organ donors and their families and make society aware of the greatness of the act of organ donation. Djalma hopes to complete the 2019 World Marathon Challenge, thus joining the Intercontinental Marathon Club, The 7 Continents Marathon Club and The Marathon Grand Slam Club.
10	Emma	Clair Dumont	FRA	Emma is a multisport athlete whose sporting life is composed of many challenges. She loves extreme and unusual activities that push her beyond her limits. Since the age of five, she has been riding motorcycles, twice becoming the quad Women’s World Champion of Cross Country Baja. Emma recently has started a five summits challenge, summitting Kilimanjaro, Mont-Blanc, and Aconcagua to date. She finished the New York Marathon in 2016 and the 2018 North Pole Marathon despite being injured. Emma is driven by Mohammad Ali’s quote, “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life”. Taking part in the World Marathon Challenge combines all that Emma loves: Travel - Sport – and a Unique Challenge.
	First Name	Surname	Nationality	Bio

2018 Competitors

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2018 Competitors

wdt_ID	Name	Surname	Nationality	Bio
166	James	Alderson	AUS	James has completed a few multi-day events, including the Marathon des Sables, as well as several extreme marathons such as the North Pole Marathon, Antarctic Ice 100km and, Volcano Marathon. He previously finished the World Marathon Challenge in 2016. As a long- time supporter of Cerebral Palsy charities, James and his running partner Steve Birnie will be helping Johanna Garvin complete 777 in her wheelchair to allow her to showcase what is possible for people who live with disabilities.
167	Nicholas	Appell	GBR	Nick, aged 51, started to set himself challenges when he turned 40. He has had the World Marathon Challenge on his radar since completing the Antarctic Ice marathon in 2015. Other challenges include climbing Kilimanjaro, running three London marathons, completing The North Pole Marathon back in 2009 and Marathon Des Sables in 2012. Nick admits to being a plodder when it comes to running so is expecting not to break any records unless of course it is a competition to see who can be out on the course the longest!! When asked what makes these events so special he always says it's the people, the wonderful camaraderie and the sharing of these life changing experiences.
168	Byron	Ball	USA	Byron G. Ball A.K.A. “Fire Ball”, as his mentor Chief Master Sergeant (Retired) Vanessa Smalls-Bryant calls him, is a Master Sergeant in the Air Force with 19 years of experience. He is the First Sergeant for the 319th Security Forces Squadron at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota. Before this job he was an Air Force Firefighter for 16 years. He has deployed to Iraq three times and twice to undisclosed locations. Byron will be running for the Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt) Richard L. Etchberger Foundation, http://www.chiefetchbergerfoundation.org/. CMSgt Etchberger received the USA’s highest military award for valor, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during a Vietnam War battle atop a remote peak in Laos. The Foundation supports service and leadership awards for Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) and Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) and Hamburg Area High School where CMSgt Richard Etchberger graduated. They also seek to assist those serving in today's United States Air Force.
169	Steve	Birnie	GBR	As part of "Team Johanna", Steve, along with James Alderson, will be supporting Johanna Garvin in her attempt to be the first person to complete the World Marathon Challenge in a wheelchair and raise money for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance in Australia in the process.
170	Jared	Blank	USA	Jared has always used running as his connection to the world. Growing up with dyslexia, he had limitations placed on him. Through running, Jared found his path and learned how to approach obstacles as opportunities. He has earned a Masters in Communication from USC, an MBA from Seattle Pacific, and worked 12 years in collegiate athletics, including Director of Football Operations for the University of Washington and the University of Southern California. Jared is fortunate to have qualified for, and run the Boston Marathon, earn a top ten finish in the San Francisco Ultra Marathon and achieve a top five finish in the Runner’s World Grand Slam. He will now chase his new dream of running the World Marathon Challenge: 7 Marathons on 7 Continents in 7 Days. He is doing so while fundraising and raising awareness for the International Dyslexia Association as part of Team Quest. Learn more by going to www.inmotional.run
171	Heather	Brien	USA	Heather ran her first marathon on 2002 and became hooked on endurance races. Her favorite marathons include Big Sur, Napa, and Le Marathon du Médoc (completed in full chef's costume) while studying at le Cordon Bleu Paris. She switched to triathlon in 2008 and has competed at all distances. She has completed 4 full ironman races, including the Ironman World Championships in Kona in 2013. Her motto is "Not fast, not last," although finishing all 7 races and coming in last in the WMC would be a win! Heather has been the Head Coach of the Team-in-Training Greater Bay Area Tri team since 2009, training others to race triathlons while raising money to cure blood cancers. Until recently, she was the COO/CCO for a Berkeley-based Hedge Fund, and now is an independent consultant, serves on several non-profit Boards, including Court Appointed Special Advocates of San Mateo, and is very active in her community. She is running the WMC to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and as a 40th birthday present to herself. She is supported by her husband, Chris Battles, and kids Sébastien and Kona, all also triathletes, who have put up with all her training and will be cheering her on from home.
172	Andrew	Brooks	USA	Andrew C. Brooks is a repeat technology entrepreneur, angel investor, fiction author, endurance athlete, husband and father of two. Currently living in Palo Alto, CA, in addition to multiple marathons, 50Ks, and 70.3 triathlons, Andrew has recently completed the 2015 Houston Ironman, 2017 Marin Ultra Challenge 50 Miler, Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim, 2017 Trans Rockies 120 Mile Stage Race, and 2017 Spartan Iceland Ultra World Championship. In addition to the 2018 World Marathon Challenge, Andrew is competing in the Ultra 520K triathlon in Canada in August. Andrew blogs at www.andhesays.com and recently published his first novel, The Clown Forest Murders. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcarrollbrooks/. Twitter Account: @andrewcbrooks. Instagram: @acbrooks
173	Deb	Carneol	USA	Deb earned her D.D.S. degree from The University of Iowa College of Dentistry in 1992. After graduating she practiced general dentistry in Cedar Rapids and Center Point for a few years before going to North Liberty, IA in 1995. Dr. Carneol has been practicing dentistry since 1992. Her North Liberty Dental practice staffs 21 women and continues to help those in the community. Through high school and college, Debra was always involved in sports, but she is relatively new to running and races. She used to say “I don’t run!”, but over the past six months several people have inspired her to run and complete her ultimate goal of finishing the 2018 World Marathon Challenge. She has completed five “Tough Mudder” events, 2015, the first GORUCK Tough Challenge (20 miles/12 hour Military Team Building event, the Dopey Challenge in 2016 and this past year the Chicago and Marine Corps marathons.
174	JP	Caudill	USA	JP started his running journey In 2008 with a simple challenge: to run a mile. That simple, yet arduous challenge sparked a passion for running. Fast forward 10 years and he’s run 37 half-marathons, 24 marathons including the six World Marathons Majors, 3 Ultramarathons up to 50 miles, a 6-day 96 mile adventure run in Costa Rica and in total over 170 events. In 2017 he qualified for Boston with a personal best of 3:10:39. He is celebrating 10 years of running and his 40th Birthday by running the 2018 World Marathon Challenge. He is also raising money and awareness for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network in honor of his grandmother whom he lost 10 years ago to this terrible disease. When not running, JP is an IT Consultant and enjoys making and sharing Craft Beer with friends.
175	Pushpa	Chandra	CAN	Pushpa is a Vancouver Canada based Naturopathic Physician with a passion for running since grade one. Her running began when she used to run to school to save her bus fare money for popsicles and she has continued for 5 decades. Pushpa has run in all 7 continents including the Antarctic 100km, the North Pole Marathon, Mt. Everest Marathon and a few multi-day stage races including Madagascar 250km, Gobi 250km and Marathon Des Sables 250km. She is one of only 21 women in the world who have completed the North Pole Grand Slam and in 2009 was the female winner of North Pole Marathon. The 777 will be a commemoration of her 60th Birthday in which she will fundraise to enroll 60 children in school for her program “Schools on Wheels.” It’s an alternative program in India where a school bus reaches out to street kids and starts them in a school program. Once these kids have reached an academic standard of grade one they are placed in mainstream school. Education is the most powerful tool to change the world! See Pushpa’s mission for change via her website: shiftworkershealth.com and there is a link to donate.
	Name	Surname	Nationality	Bio

2017 Competitors

wdt_ID	Competitors Name	Nationality
1	Georgina Acons	Great Britain
2	Ibrar Ali	Great Britain
3	Glen Avery	USA
4	Mathew Barnett	USA
5	Silvana Camelio	Chile
6	Patrick Cande	Tahiti
7	Patrick Charlebois	Canada
8	Wing Keung Chik	China/Hong Kong
9	Jonathon Fischer	Canada
10	Winston Fisher	USA
	Competitors Name	Nationality

2016 Competitors

wdt_ID	Competitors Name	Nationality
1	Demelza Alderson (AUS / GBR)	Australia / Great Britain
2	James Alderson (AUS)	Australia
3	Sarah Ames (GER / USA)	Germany / USA
4	Stefan Aumann (GER)	Germany
5	Hassan Baraka (MOR)	Morocco
6	Daniel Cartica (USA)	USA
7	Patrick Fallon (USA)	USA
8	Heather Hawkins (AUS)	Australia
9	Masao Maki (JPN)	Japan
10	Yusuke Mamada (JPN)	Japan
	Competitors Name	Nationality