Megan Eckert sets 6-day world record with 1,024 km run
American ultrarunner Megan Eckert ran 1,024.319 km over six days in Hungary, setting a new women's world record and breaking the overall US six-day best.
American ultrarunner Megan Eckert has set a new women's six-day world record. The 40-year-old from New Mexico covered 636.482 miles (1,024.319 km) at the EMU-GOMU 6-Day World Championships in Balatonfüred, Hungary.
Her performance surpassed her own previous world record by 53.634 km. Eckert also broke the overall United States six-day record, which had been held by Joe Fejes since 2015.
Records broken in Hungary
Eckert ran on a flat, paved 898.2-metre loop for 144 hours. She reached the 1,000 km milestone in 139 hours, 55 minutes and 46 seconds, becoming the first woman ever to do so in a six-day race. Multi-day running legend Trishul Cherns told Canadian Running that only four men in the history of the sport have topped her final distance.
Cherns said, "She has sent shockwaves through the sport of ultrarunning."
The table below details the key records Eckert surpassed during her run.
| Record Holder | Distance (Miles) | Distance (Kilometers) | Year Set |
|---|---|---|---|
| Megan Eckert (Previous WR) | 603.155 | 970.685 | 2025 |
| Joe Fejes (US Record) | 606.243 | 975.653 | 2015 |
| Camille Herron (72-hr mark) | 342.091 | 550.596 | 2024 |
| Camille Herron (Previous WR) | 560.333 | 901.768 | 2024 |
A rapid ascent in ultrarunning
Eckert's ultrarunning career has progressed quickly. She entered her first six-day race only a year before this record, winning the Six Days in the Dome event outright with 526 miles. She then set the previous women's six-day world record of 603.155 miles at the 2025 Six Days of France.
That performance broke Camille Herron's previous record by more than 42 miles. Eckert also holds a women's world best in backyard ultras, completing 87 yards (roughly 362 miles) at the 2024 Big Dog's Backyard Ultra.
Earlier in 2025, she placed third at the Cocodona 250-mile race and later won the Vermont 100 Mile. Eckert works as a middle-school special education and math teacher in Santa Fe and coaches high-school track and cross-country.
Men's race and event details
Norway's Simen Holvik won the men's division of the race with a distance of 899.996 km (about 559.2 miles). Eckert's distance placed her ahead of the entire field overall. Holvik, 49, is a two-time winner of the Badwater 135 ultramarathon.
The event was the 15th edition of the EMU 6-Day Race and served as the Global Organization of Multi-Day Ultramarathoners (GOMU) world championship. The course holds an International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) Gold Label for meeting rigorous standards. All records set at the event are pending official ratification.
