Chris Hodges, a 63-year-old, recently completed a task that would make any ordinary person cringe at the very thought. He ran seven marathons — in seven days.
And he did it on seven continents.
It’s called the World Marathon Challenge, and few people have completed the grueling ordeal. His journey took him from North America to South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, and the Antarctic.
“I have always had the goal of running marathons on all seven continents,” Hodges said, adding with a chuckle, “A friend, Congressman Pat Fallon, completed the challenge a few years ago. It sounded fun and I figured if a politician can do it, I sure could.
“At 63, I don’t really think of myself as old. I feel great and I love doing hard things.”
That’s an understatement worthy of calling the folks at the “Guinness Book of World Records.”
“I always feel such a sense of accomplishment when completing a marathon,” he continued. “I love encouraging others.
“Running seven in seven days on seven continents was definitely taking it to the next level. Finishing was very satisfying.”
Hodges previously ran a marathon in Antarctica last March and has visited Madrid. It was his first time in Cape Town, Perth, Dubai, and Brazil. He has also been to Miami before.
Traveling across a plethora of time zones, sleep was a precious, albeit not plentiful, commodity. Meals and fluids had to be on time and exact to keep up his strength.
But those were hardly the only challenges for Hodges.
The adventure didn’t start out well. He got sick the first day in Antarctica and was unable to take in anything but water and soda for four days.
“The travel and lack of rest was very hard. But I still had to complete a marathon each day,” he said. “The doctors checked my hydration each day and I was good to go.”
Hodges admitted that at one point on the fourth day in Dubai, he wasn’t sure he would be able to complete all of the races.
“I was in tears while running and completely exhausted. I just told myself that failure was not an option and kept going,” he said.
More than two decades ago, a youth pastor in Hodges’ church challenged him to join a fundraising team and run a marathon for kids in need. He joined the team, raised money, and ran the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon.
“I was so sore after that I said I would never run another,” he said. “Two days later, I was out on a recovery run and decided I wanted to train to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
“It took me two years to get in shape. I did qualify by running a marathon at a 7:30 per mile pace. It was very hard.”
Hodges is originally from Wasco, California, a small farming community in the San Joaquin Valley. He and his family moved here in June of 2008 to help the family business, Wayne Hodges Trailer Sales.
“We fell in love with Weatherford and Texas and hope to live here forever,” he said.
Hodges played high school and college tennis.
“We had to run for fitness and as punishment,” he said with a laugh. “I never pictured myself as a runner or even being able to run 26.2 miles, much less enjoying it.”
His wife, Monica, enjoys running half marathons. She joined him in Cape Town and Miami, completing a half marathon in both places.
“She is doing a half marathon on all seven continents — just not in seven days,” he said.
Along with running together around the world, Hodges said he and Monica are running half and full marathons in all 50 states.
“We are 40 states in and should finish by the end of 2027,” he said.
Hodges has a connection to the Daughters of the American Revolution and their school in Retalhuleu, Guatemala. He has done multiple mission trips there to help the school by doing building projects, going out into the community, and other activities.
He and Monica have also supported Count Me In — a nonprofit initiative that partners with patients to accelerate cancer research by enabling them to share their medical records, genomic data, and personal experiences — which is in Nairobi, Kenya for many years. They feed and help kids in the poorest slums in Nairobi.
“Monica and I love to be generous. We have more than we need, so it just makes sense and feels right to help others here and around the world,” he said. “If you aren’t helping anyone, you are really missing out. Generosity comes from your heart, not your pocketbook.”
He and Monica also coach others in their quest to conquer long-distance events.
“Coaching and encouraging other marathoners and runners/walkers in general is so much fun,” he said. “Monica and I both love helping others do things they never imagined was possible.
“Monica and I are living, breathing proof that anyone can accomplish almost anything if they put their mind to it and are willing to do the hard work.
“We aren’t exceptional in any way.”
Except for having done something the vast majority of humans dare not even dream of.
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