Indian influencer gets burpee marathon record ratified

We’ve seen people juggle, dribble basketballs or run marathons dressed as cartoon characters, but this latest feat from an Indian fitness influencer might top them all. Earlier this month, India’s Mann Sharma became the first person to complete an entire marathon solely by doing burpees. Yes, that’s 42.2 kilometres of nothing but burpees.

If you’ve ever done a burpee, you know there was no speed to this challenge, just survival. It took Sharma 197 hours and 54 minutes to finish his burpee marathon. That’s just over eight days of continuous burpees. Unsurprisingly, there was no previous record to chase, so Sharma’s 197 hours now stand as the benchmark for future fitness daredevils wanting to take it on.

Sharma said his reason for embracing the challenge was to accomplish something no one had ever attempted. Each burpee required squatting, kicking back into a push-up position, performing a push-up, jumping forward and leaping ahead—an estimated 40,000 times. Sharma also fundraised for underprivileged children in collaboration with Fit India, a government initiative encouraging citizens to adopt healthier, more active lifestyles through regular physical activity.

By day six of the challenge, Sharma said the toll on his body was severe. He reported intense pain in his stomach and diaphragm, triggered even by the smallest sip of water. “Even a tiny sip instantly hurt,” he posted on social media.

Representatives from the World Book of Records, a new U.K.-based independent record-ratifying organization (like Guinness World Records), were on site to verify the attempt. Along the way, Sharma apparently set new marks for the burpee 5K and 10K, simply because he is the first person to attempt them–because burpees are already the exercise everyone loves to hate.