24-hour run

A 24-hour run is a form of ultramarathon, in which a competitor runs as far as they can in 24 hours. They are typically held on 1- to 2-mile loops or occasionally 400-meter tracks.

Top runners will often run 200 kilometers or more, depending on conditions, and the best can go beyond 270 kilometers. Some participants will have a crew to help them, but others just set up a camp with all the gear and supplies they need near the starting area to access each loop. Often 24-hour events are combined with 6-, 12-, and 48-hour events. 24-hour runs have also been held in relay formats, with runners completing a mile each in succession for 24 hours. Often these events are not internationally sanctioned, and are more for charitable purposes.

The world records for the event on all surfaces are 255.303 km (161.126 miles) for women, set by Mami Kudo of Japan in 2011, and 303.506 km (188.590 miles) for men, set by Yiannis Kouros in 1997.

The first international championship was held February 3–4, 1990 in Milton Keynes, England. A full continental championship was formed in 1992 as the IAU 24 Hour European Championship.

The IAU 24 Hour World Championship is the pinnacle of competition in the 24-hour run. The first IAU Individual Track Championships were held in San Giovanni Lupatoto, Verona, Italy on 22-23 September, 2001.

The German website DUV lists 160 24-hour races that were scheduled for 2012, a figure that has doubled over the last 10 years. The longest running 24-hour race is the Self-Transcendence 24 Hour Race Ottawa, Canada which began in 1981.

A 24-hour race exclusively for youth was started in Hong Kong in 2010, and has continued annually (Running to Stop the Traffik).

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Wikipedia