This former banker is on a mission to run 249 marathons across the world

Earlier this month, Wojtek Machnik completed his 105th marathon in Bhutan. Machnik’s most recent achievement cannot, however, be viewed in isolation. It is part of a series of accomplishments, which, Machnik hopes, will lead him to his ultimate goal: Of running 249 marathons across the world. That number – and the name of his mission, 249Challenge -- is derived from the ISO 3166, a standard published by the International Organisation for Standardisation, which promotes proprietary, industrial and commercial standards. The ISO 3166 defines codes for the names of the countries – 196 in all – and 53 incorporated territories, non-incorporated ones, peripheral regions, and autonomous states or overseas administration. The codes are used by the IT industry to ease the identification of country names.

Machnik, a stocky man with a ready smile, is already the holder of a world record for running 66 marathons in 66 countries in a single year. (That’s a marathon every weekend, plus some.). He completed his first international marathon in Marrakesh, Morocco, in 2016. Since then he has run marathons in Pakistan, Moldova, Hungary, India (Chennai), Togo, Canada, and, among others, Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Life wasn’t always this hectic for Machnik, a top banker and, later insurance executive, based in Warsaw, in Poland. In fact, according to the 42-year-old, it was unexciting. A personal setback only served to exacerbate the dullness, he says. That’s when he took up running.  “I’d always loved travelling, but over time most of my work was conducted from a desk, and I yearned to be free again. To do something crazy.”

The first-ever official marathon Machnik participated was in Warsaw in 2013. Soon, he began setting goals for himself: To participate in the marathon majors and to run marathons in all the continents (he has ticked off six continents and is scheduled to participate in the Antarctica Marathon later this year). “But soon I realised I needed a bigger project, something that would not end soon. I was looking for a lifetime project,” says Machnik. The 249Challenge is his “lifetime project”. “There have been several different ‘marathon’ records, but when I chanced upon the ISO code, I thought it was a good number to aim for and I’m glad I’m the only person still attempting it.” In 2018, he quit his job and plunged full time into it. He has been, apart from a few sponsorship deals, running mostly on his own steam since then, staying at budget hotels, looking for the cheapest deals on flights and synchronising his travels with marathons. “I don’t have the luxury of heading back home after a couple of marathons and then continuing with the project. I have rarely been home for the last two years,” says Machnik who only participates in official marathons.

But he has no regrets. For now, this is the life he wants; to travel the world, run at a steady pace, take in the sights and the sounds. (Machnik’s personal best time is over four hours.)

“The Karakoram Marathon, in Pakistan, was spectacular. The toughest one so far, if one were to talk about extremes, was in Senegal, and I remember Cebu (Philippines) being extremely humid,” says Machnik who also runs a marathon-focused travel consultancy to fund his project. He especially cherishes the fleeting but warm encounters he has had over the last two years. “I’ve had airport staff wave me through even as the flight was about to take off at some airports; in Chennai, a fellow competitor chaperoned me around the city…These small acts of kindness have kept the project going.”

How does Machnik keep himself fit? “It’s tough. I barely have time to eat or workout. I have to eat junk food at times because when you are on the move as much as I am, you never know when your next meal is coming from. So, at times, I’ve put on weight even though I’m running so much,” says Machnik. At the time of this article being uploaded, he was running the Socotra Marathon, which is held in an eponymous island off the coast of Yemen.

The coronavirus pandemic is certain to upend his meticulously charted plans for the year, but Machnik is looking forward to the break. “I’ve been running non-stop for about two and a half years. It might be good to be back home for a bit and run, like, once a month. But if things improve, I’ll be back on the road – there are still 144 marathons to go.”