Megan Eckert sets 6-day American record with 636 miles

Megan Eckert has run 636.482 miles in six days, setting a new overall American record. The 40-year-old teacher from Santa Fe, New Mexico, achieved the feat at the Global Organization of Multi-Day Ultrarunners (GOMU) 6-Day World Championships in Balatonfüred, Hungary.

She averaged 106 miles per day on a 0.5581-mile loop course, completing 1,140 laps. Eckert's distance shattered her own previous women's six-day world record of 603.155 miles. It also surpassed the overall American record of 606.243 miles, set by Joe Fejes in 2015.

Record-breaking performance

Eckert was the outright winner of the championship, beating the top male competitor. Her mileage topped that of Norway's Simen Holvik, who finished as runner-up with 584.631 miles. Japan's Tomomi Bitoh was the second-place woman and ninth overall with 498.915 miles.

During the same effort, Eckert also set a new mark for 72 hours. She ran 342.124 miles in three days, exceeding the previous women's world record of 342.091 miles set by American Camille Herron in 2024. Her total left her roughly 14 miles short of the overall six-day world record of 650.919 miles, set by Russian runner Iván Zaborski in May 2025.

Race execution and support

Eckert broke her running into six-hour blocks, using breaks for naps and meals. Her husband, Joe Eckert, served as her support crew. Veteran ultrarunner Mike Dobies provided pacing advice throughout the event.

A chip-based timing system with sensors at two points on the loop tracked her precise mileage. "It's the longest and the shortest thing," Eckert said after finishing, according to Runner's World. "It's unbelievable. There's so much that goes on, so many ups and downs. But we had a good time!"

Equipment and ratification

For footwear, Eckert wore two pairs of Mount to Coast R1 shoes during the six-day effort. The results are pending formal ratification by the International Association of Ultrarunning. The report states Eckert completed all required drug testing and paperwork, with several certified ultrarunning referees present at the event.

Eckert's running background

Eckert began running about a decade ago and entered her first ultradistance race in 2017. She typically runs 80 to 85 miles per week year-round, often increasing to 100-120 miles per week when building up for a major race. She frequently run-commutes to her job as a middle school special education and math teacher.

Her recent results include winning the women's division of the Vermont 100 in July in 17 hours and 19 minutes. In May, she placed third in the women's race at the Cocodona 250, finishing behind Rachel Entrekin and Courtney Dauwalter in a time of 63 hours and 9 minutes.