Matthieu Bonne, a 31-year-old extreme athlete from Ostend, Flanders, is aiming to complete the ultimate test of endurance at the GOMU World Championship in Poland on Friday, running over 473 kilometres in less than 48 hours.
The Belgian athlete, who already holds three world records in feats of endurance in three different disciplines, has been travelling the world since 2017 completing endurance challenges. He already holds the record for the longest continuous, unassisted swim across an ocean, which he set off the coast of Greece in September 2023. Exactly a year later, he would break a historic world record for endurance running, surpassing a record held for 20 years by a Greek athlete at the 6 Days Race Ultraran in Hungary, covering 1,046 kilometres in 144 hours. In March 2023, this time cycling, Bonne covered the greatest distance ever covered by bike in seven days, travelling 3,619 kilometres solo across Arizona.
In Arizona, Bonne covered over 3,600 kilometres unassisted on his bike in just a week. Credit: Facebook / Matthieu Bonne
For his latest test of endurance, Bonne is aiming to beat a 30-year unbeaten record for the furthest distance covered in just two days. Bonne is the only Belgian athlete at the competition, but is already one of the favourites to take the title, and the world-record, having recovered from a respiratory infection that forced him to abandon a similar attempt in Taiwan earlier this year.
"If I want to achieve this, I can't stop," he told A New Agency World. "No sleep, no real breaks. Over 475 kilometres in one single push. At no point can I drop below six minutes per kilometre, or I simply won't make it."
The race, held in the central Polish city of Pabianice, started on 30 May at midday and will finish two days later on 1 June. 221 participants will run on a closed-loop of 1.725 kilometres in a bid to run the furthest distance. Bonne will have to face off against other elite marathon runners and long-distance runners. The ultra-athlete said that he was confident about his chances, having already broken several records over the previous years.
"They said this 30-year-old record was untouchable," he said. "They also said that about the 6-Day World Record, until I broke that too."
Bonne previously set a record for the longest unassisted swim across an ocean off the coast of Greece. Credit: Matthieu Bonne/Facebook
Bonne is receiving support from a team of experienced professionals, who will monitor his nutrition, hydration, pacing, and focus throughout the course of the race. A small contingent of Belgian supporters has also travelled to Poland to cheer him on at the most crucial parts of the race.
This year, the Belgian super-athlete has set himself the task of breaking a number of running records. In February, he narrowly missed out on setting a record at a six-day running event in Merelbeke. Since then, his team says that he has been training his core strength, practicing his endurance on foot, and pushing himself to meet his targets. Before setting off for the event, the Belgian athlete said that he was "fully recovered" and "stronger than ever", adding that he had "never felt so rested, confident, and ready for a challenge of this magnitude."
To follow Bonne on his impressive record-breaking attempt, well-wishers can follow the official Facebook page of the Polish running event, or follow along on Bonne's official Instagram account.
