Shortest Time to Run 50 Kilometers on a Treadmill

2020-10-22

On April 16, Matthias Kyburz, a Swiss orienteer set the world record for the “shortest time to run 50km on a treadmill” with a time of 2 hours 56 minutes and 35 seconds on a 50km treadmill.

 

This year, the world record has been broken two times. The first time is by American trail running champion Mario Mendoza, who achieved a time of 2:59:03 in January. The second time is by German super-athlete Florian Neustroud, who set a new record with a time of 2:57:25 just one month later.

Kibbertz, a four-time world champion in orienteering, has secured two individual gold medals and two relay titles. He is also a five-time overall World Orienteering Champion (21 World Cup victories) and a five-time European champion.

Kibbertz does not intend to break that record this year. However, when the races he had scheduled were cancelled or postponed like many events worldwide, he resolved not to let his winter training go to waste. He stated in a video announcing his attempt, “I have been diligently preparing myself to perform at my best throughout the winter”.

 

This unique challenge is a way to use his hard-earned physical abilities. Kibbertz admitted that it was a project he had never worked on before. He said he was not used to running very long distances.

However, his lack of long-distance running experience did not important as he averaged 3 minutes and 30 seconds per kilometre in the 50km race. He finished the 20km in 1 hour 10 minutes 48 seconds, the marathon in 2 hours 29 minutes 10 seconds, and ran another 8km, breaking the 50km world record in 2 hours 56 minutes 35 seconds.

The event also resulted in a doubling of funds for COVID-19 relief organizations in Switzerland, with the proceeds allocated to assist individuals and families affected by the pandemic within the country.