Vegan Athlete Sets New World Record, Running 100 Miles In A Single Day
Robbie Balenger credits a plant-based diet for his extraordinary feat, after completing 16 laps of New York's Central Park in just 18 hours.
Robbie Balenger celebrating at the finish line. Credit: Ten Thousand
A vegan athlete has set a new world record for running as many loops of Central Park as possible in a single day.
Robbie Balenger now holds the fastest time in the Central Park Loop Challenge, completing 16 loops, which equates to 100 miles, in just over 18 hours. The previous record was 11 loops / 70 miles, completed in 14 hours.
Balenger, 36, has previously finished seven ultramarathons in four months, and also completed a 3,000-mile run from Los Angeles to New York City in 75 days back in 2019.
This latest feat is the most he has ever run in a single day, and training required him to complete at least 10 miles a day every day leading up to the attempt.
An experienced ultrarunner, Balenger is keen to stress the importance of his plant-based lifestyle.
In early 2018, he adopted a vegan diet, for the environment, but didn’t realize how much it would benefit his training.
"Before I went vegan, I would go for a long run, a 20-miler ... and go smash a double cheeseburger. I'd wake up the next day and be extremely sore, like I just wrecked my body”, he said. Now, thanks to his plant-based diet, “I can run, eat all day long, and wake up next morning and get ready to go again".
He wanted to complete the transatlantic run in 2019 to show what could be achieved through a plant-based diet, and he continues to promote the health benefits of veganism.
"My goal is to inspire people all across this country to start paying more attention to what they put inside of their bodies", he said. “I want to be an example of someone who has made a radical change and feels better for it.”
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