Europe 🌏 Asia 🌎 Antarctica 🌏 Africa 🌎 North America 🌎 South America 🌏 Oceania
🏃♀️ In 2015 we embarked on a challenge to run an official Half marathon / Marathon in every Continent, which we were able to complete in 2024!! 🏃
As part of this journey, we signed up for the Seven Continents Club by American Travel Agency Marathon Tours and Travel. The Club was founded in 1995 with the first Antarctica Marathon & Half-Marathon, and has members from all around the world.
In this page, you can find the details about our journey, split by continents ✔️:
Europe
- Chaos, folklore and a “park run”: Tirana Marathon
We ran in Tirana a good course around the Artificial lake and the Great Park. In the streets girls were performing folkloric dances. Could have been a great race but the organization was not up to the standard, with chaos at the starting line. - Running somewhere in la Mancha, in a place I do care to remember
On a cold morning of December we ran in Campo de Criptana, amongst the windmills that inspired the famous episode in Don Quixote: “they are giants”, said Don Quixote, “and if you’re afraid, get away from here and start praying while I go into fierce and unequal battle with them” - The Poseidon Half Marathon in the historical Piraeus port of Athens
In the land of Homer’s heroes and more than three thousand years after the swift Achilles, we ran the Poseidon Half Marathon in the mythical port of Piraeus, southwest of Athens. - Around Serra de Prades: Poblet and Siurana
The area around Prades, in Catalunya, is a nature paradise with a cozy mediterranean air, where you can run in trails which zigzag between vineyards and olive fields. It is also home to ancient monasteries and some of the best wineries of Catalunya. - Running in Bastejkalna Park and Riga’s Old Town, Latvia
A 5k running route across the beautiful Bastejkalna Park and, if you don’t mind running on cobblestone streets, around Riga’s City Center seeing landmarks like the iconic BlackHeads House and the Cathedral. - Skopje: sculptures, graffiti and stray dogs running the marathon
In Skopje, North Macedonia’s capital, a city with more sculptures than residents, ornated bridges and too many graffitis, we ran a well organised half marathon with stray dogs following at a decent pace. - Running by the Baltic Sea in Tallinn Half Marathon
Tallinn is a Half Marathon to enjoy! It offers a very nice course, flat and wide: starting and finishing in the beautifully medieval Old Town, you later cross forests and run along the Baltic Sea! - “Our race” in Vilnius Old Town: the ManoBegimas 10k
We ran the Manobegimas race of 10k, a part of the Marathon Vilnius Sunday: a great course on a sunny day to finish our Baltic Challenge in Lithuania. - A moveable feast: running in Paris
We had visited Paris in many occasions in the past, but in 2018 we lived in the city of light for almost a year. We enjoyed running in its parks, our favourite being our “local” Parc Monceau. We also mapped a few “long run” routes which passed by the wonderful Tour Eiffel and the musée du Louvre. Pas mal! - London calling! The London Marathon
We ran the London Marathon while we were living in this great city! It was our first Marathon Major, where our Six Stars journey started, and we were able to enjoy it from a local’s perspective, cheered on by our dear friends and surrounded by runners trying to break Guiness records. - Up Hverfjall volcano, enjoying spectacular Iceland
We ran Iceland’s volcano marathon near Lake Mývatn: a challenging but stunning course that takes you up Hverfjall volcano and around its rim, with its spectacular volcanic background of pseudo-craters, capricious lava rocks and steaming mud pits. - Churches, bridges and soviet architecture: the Sofia Marathon
We ran amongst Orthodox churches, Catholic cathedrals, mosques and synagogues, monumental bridges, impressive state buildings and endless boulevards lined with ex-Soviet skyscrapers. - Running the traditional São Silvestre race in Lisbon
Dressed with Santa Claus hats, we ran in the historical center of Lisbon, nicely illuminated with Christmas lights, for the traditional São Silvestre race. - Running in the ancient Dacia: Chisinau Marathon in Moldova
We ran the “Chisnau Big Hearts Marathon” in the ancient Dacia, modern day’s Moldova, on a very sunny day, surrounded by Orthodox churches, Soviet relics, Neoclassical buildings and blooming flowers. - Running in the heart of Reykjavik: the old harbor and Hallgrimskirja
Reykjavik proved to be ideal for running, with a scenic course across the old harbor, the true heart of the city, to which we added climbing the Thufa and the hill where the magnificent Hallgrimskirja church is located. - Running on thin ice: the Frozen Lake Marathon in Norway
Two centuries after Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote “The ice was here, the ice was there, the ice was all around; it cracked and growled, and roared and howled, like noises in a swound”, in Norway they reimagine the experience in a much more festive way: running on the frozen Tisleifjorden lake. - In the Golden Horn of Istanbul, along the Bosphorus strait
We ran in Old Istanbul, up and down their narrow cobblestone streets amongst the magnificent wonders of ancient Byzantium and Constantinople, and along the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus strait. We were in Europe, yet we had Asia in sight. - Running across “a bridge over the Sava river” in Belgrade
An orchestra played classical music in the imposing Ada Bridge while serbian flags were waving. We ran through the historic center, still displaying ruins of the NATO bombings during the 90s, and the new town, with its soviet archicture. Belgrade is a capital that is proud of its past but designs its modernity, in its own way. - Seals on a rocky coast: running in Northern Ireland
Running along Annalong’s Coastal Path allows you to observe the daily life of a Northern Irish town without the beautifying filter of tourist enclaves. Here, instead of beach bars, you will have sheep grazing on the seafront, and instead of water skates, seals on top of the rocks. - All colours of nature: trail running in Howth Head, Ireland
In May, running along the impressive cliffs of Howth Cape allows you to enjoy every shade of green in its luscious nature, the limpid blue of the Dublin Bay sea, the fierce yellow of the gorse, and the violets of its heathers. - Race to the Brandenburg gate: the fastest marathon, in Berlin
We ran forty-two kilometers through the streets of Berlin, ending up through the iconic Brandenburg Gate, and witnessed Eliud Kipchoge stop the timer at two hours, one minute and nine seconds, the world record at the time.
North America
- It was a beautiful day to be a Boston Marathoner
We left Hopkinton, conquered HeartBreak Hill and reached Bolyston Street to complete the 128th Boston Marathon and become 6 stars finishers on a very sunny day and with the memory of my father close to my heart. As a cheerful spectator shouted… “it is a beatiful day to be a Boston Marathoner!”. - 42k in the windy city: the Chicago Marathon
We ran across historical railway bridges in downtown Chicago and alongside Lake Michigan for the Chicago Marathon Major on a very rainy day, with thousands of residents facing the bad weather to cheer on 40k runners, while heavy clouds hugged the skyscrapers high above. - New York, New York… City Marathon
Running the NYC marathon was a dream of mine since, when I was a little girl, I watched on TV how thousands of runners crossed the Verrazano bridge. And in 2017 I was finally able to “run the 5 boroughs” and finish the biggest marathon in the world.
Antarctica & Artic
- Running in Santa’s home: the Artic Marathon in Finland
Running on snowy paths through coniferous forests, above the Arctic Circle, at minus ten below zero… with elves at the aid stations and Santa Claus hanging the medal on you. This is the Rovaniemi Arctic Marathon. - Running on thin ice: the Frozen Lake Marathon in NorwayTwo centuries after Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote “The ice was here, the ice was there, the ice was all around; it cracked and growled, and roared and howled, like noises in a swound”, in Norway they reimagine the experience in a much more festive way: running on the frozen Tisleifjorden lake.
- Running on the ice cap: the Polar Circle Marathon in Greenland
The Polar circle marathon in Greenland is about extremes: extreme weather, extreme running conditions and extreme beauty. From running on the ice cap to experience the magnificient view of glaciers and windy solitaire paths, this is not for the faint hearted. - Running at the end of the world: the Antarctica Marathon
Overcoming the fearsome currents of the Drake Passage and facing gusts of battering wind, you run at the far end of the world, in a land of magical beryl glaciers, while colonies of penguins leap in ice-dappled waters.
Asia
- Running around the tallest building on Earth, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai
In a land of luxury, high tech and unapologetic ostentation, we recovered after a marathon. We ran 5 kilometers around the tallest building in the world. In Dubai, where every bit of land has been reclaimed from the harsh Arabian desert. - Birthday run in monumental Tashkent, Uzbekistan
In 2024 I celebrated my birthday the best way I could: by running in Tashkent. Discovering a new city very early in the morning, enjoying its wide avenues, parks and monumental buildings with a lot of marble and a Soviet taste. - Running with local kids and across suspension bridges in Tajikistan
We ran with local kids and across the Zarafshon river on a suspension bridge which deck was made of wood while the sun was setting in the legendary Fann mountains. - Magical run in Samarcand at night
We embarked on an magical run on a warm September night that took us to Registan Square in Samarcand, one of the most beautiful squares in the world… illuminated like in a dream out of “a thousand and one nights”… - At the feet of snowed mountains: the Almaty Half Marathon
We ran the largest sport event in Central Asia: a tough half marathon, with 700m altitude and uphill the first 7 kilometers, but with the stunning background of the peaks of the Thian Shan mountain. - Run in Bishkek, at the feet of the Ala-Too mountains of Kyrgyztan
On a quiet September morning we enjoyed a run around the vast urban spaces of monumental Bishkek, with a gigantic Kyrgyz flag, soviet murals, a ferris wheel and the snowed Ala-Too mountains in the background. - Around the walls of the ancient city of Khiva, in Uzbekistan
We ran around the walls of the old Khiva city, a stunning construction of adobe and mud that protects the Itchan Kala, a UNESCO world heritage site with marvels like the Kalta Minor Minaret. - Marathon in Tokyo, “my favourite place”, on a sunny morning
In a harbinger of the coming spring, Tokyo welcomed runners from all around the world. Asia’s biggest marathon took place on a spectacular sunny day with cherry blossoms. We ran through avenues full of advertising billboards, Shinto temples and communication towers that are symbols of progress. - Let’s run in Suwon! A K-Race in Gyeonggi, South Korea
On a cold February morning, with sleet falling from grey skies, we took part in the “Gyeonggi International Half Marathon”. We ran streets flanked with sky scrappers and tiny shops, in a race that proved very popular with locals in Suwon, home of the magnificent Hwaseong Fortress. - In the Golden Horn of Istanbul, along the Bosphorus straitWe ran in Old Istanbul, up and down their narrow cobblestone streets amongst the magnificent wonders of ancient Byzantium and Constantinople, and along the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus strait. We were in Europe, yet we had Asia in sight.
- Running with the locals and climbing 300 steps in Dili, Timor Leste
In the remote and legendary country of Timor Leste, we mingled with the local runners, who were many and were fast, from the urban center along sandy beaches, to end up climbing 500 steps to the foot of the Cristo Rei statue in Cap Fatucama. - When you are part of paradise: running on Koh Samui’s beaches
While running in the golden sand beaches of Koh Samui, the ones that inspired “The beach”, I recalled its famous quote: “Paradise is how you feel for a moment in your life when you are a part of something… and if you find that moment… it lasts forever”.
Africa
- Mura, mura! Winning the Madagascar Half Marathon
In the Madagascar marathon, a demanding race through rocky, sandy terrain and unforgiving sun, I was the first woman in the half marathon. But my best reward was having run through a setting of extreme beauty, the Ivalo National Park. - Toko Ningana! The Congo River Marathon
We absolutely enjoyed taking part of the Congo River Half Marathon in vibrant and chaotic Kinshasa, with military men shouting “courage!” and hundreds of locals with colourful tshirts running. This is a marathon like no other, in a country that will surprise you, unnerve you and fascinate you a the same time! - Running in the chaotic streets of Kinshasa
One rainy day we caught a glimpse of the brown waters of the Congo River as we ran through Kinshasa’s richest neighborhood, Gombe, with many embassies behind high walls with barbed wire and heavily armed guards everywhere. - Cartago currera est! The 36th edition of the Tunis Marathon
For our first African Half marathon, we traveled to Tunis to run a race which takes place from 1986. The race crosses the Lake of Tunis, once a natural harbour, and finishes at the feet of the Clock Tower.
Oceania
- Run Melbourne: a flat and scenic route in a city that breaths sport
Melbourne’s Half Marathon’s slogan, “run melbourne”, comes true with a flat, scenic course that includes the wide streets of the financial district, the pedestrian riverbanks with their cafés and museums, and lush parks next to terraced Victorian houses.
South America
- Race for the Heroes (“Carrera de los Héroes”) in Bogotá
Under the rain we ran alongside Colombian military corps, hearing them shouting hymns while splashing water with their powerful treading. We were in a race for the Colombian military heroes! - A track in an urban jungle in Bogotá
On a capricious weather day, we had sun and we had rain while we enjoyed a good track course surrounded by lush vegetation in Parque Simón Bolívar, in Colombia’s vibrant capital, Bogotá. - Running in “the Jewel of the Caribbean”: Cartagena de Indias
We struggled in the Caribbean heat but we were rewarded at the end, when we could run on top of the walls of a old colonial fort and reached the centre of “The Jewel of the Caribbean”: Cartagena de Indias. - Running in La Cinta Costera in front of the Casco Viejo in Panama
Panama’s Cinta Costera 3 is meant for running: a scenic, wide and well conditioned 3.5 kilometer course above Pacific Ocean’s waters which offers views of the Casco Viejo and the tall, new skyscrappers. And to finish the run, nothing better than run in the narrow cobbled streets of the old city. - Parque del Este, a haven in the middle of the chaos in Caracas
We ran in Caracas’s Parque del Este “running belt”, enjoying its heterogeneus attractions: a boat lake, a Xerofítico and a Hidrofítico garden, a water curtain or the corvette used by Francisco de Miranda during his first expedition to Venezuela. All while outside the city streets were chaotic, loud and polluted.