Miami is a substantial 19 hour, 1330 mile drive around the Gulf of Mexico to Waxahachie, a small town south of Dallas Texas, but for Paul Box that was ‘next door to home’ in comparison with the miles he had travelled in pursuit of the 2025 Great World Race title he bagged over the weekend (Saturday 22 November).
The Waxahachie-based financial planner completed the Miami Marathon in 3 hrs 09 min 17 sec to win the title, completing 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days in a total of 24 hrs 5 min 23 sec, an impressive race average of 3:26:29.
Twenty hours earlier Box had increased his overall lead in the South American leg of the race with a second-placed finish in 3:32:40 in Cartegena, Columbia, in a race which got underway at 3am local time.
Box’s total time was 1 hr 26 min clear of second-placed Canadian, Pierre-Olivier Jacques (25:31:42) who held off another American, Ryan Fleming by just over 16 minutes (25:48:24) for the silver medal. Fleming won at The Algarve (Europe) and Cartegena (South America) and placed second in Cape Town and Miami.
Box saved his best for last, his 3:09:17 just 1 min 29 sec faster than his first leg in Cape Town and apart from the Antarctic Marathon, run in high winds, for which he clocked 4:08:44, his races were a model of consistency, his finishing times all within 23 minutes of each other.
Box won the last five legs of the race, in Perth (Australia), Abu Dhabi (UAE), The Algarve (Portugal), Cartegena (Columbia) and Miami, with defending champion, David Kilgore, winning the first two legs in Cape Town and Wolf’s Fang in Antarctica, before being forced to retire with an injury after the third leg in Perth.
“Oh man – what a great opportunity,” said Box after he crossed the finish line. It was my kids that gave me the motivation to enter this race – to motivate them. I want them to have adventures in life – to discover that there’s a big world and a lot of people out there.
“And you’ve got to get out and meet people and build community. The more you love on others, the more they love you – and that’s what this event’s about.”
Lithuanian adventure and bio-tech director, Roma Puisiene, was equally impressive in winning the women’s trophy, placing 7th overall in 27:12:40 for an average time of 3:53:14 and winning each race from Cape Town on Sunday 16th November to Miami on Saturday.
“It was my last race today and I ran my personal best,” Puisiene remarked. “I didn’t believe I could do it but I gave it my all. I surprised myself – I never expected it would be so good.”
Puisiene clocked 3:35:58 in Miami, four minutes inside her winning time at the Algarve Marathon in Portugal, Europe and nine minutes inside her third-fastest, set in winning the Africa leg in Cape Town.
Puisiene’s total time was more than five hours faster than second-placed Ashleigh Tran (USA) who clocked 32:25:58 with another American, Lisa Kenton, third in 33:46:22.
If seven marathons were not enough, Christian Brown Johnson (USA) completed his seventh 50km race on his seventh continent in 7 days, running a swift 4:00:46 hrs in Miami.
Irish participant, Michael McDermott, was the runaway winner in the Half Marathon category after winning in Miami in 1:49:18, his third fastest behind his 1:40:43 fastest in Cape Town. McDermott’s total of 13:17:28 was 4 hrs 40 min ahead of second-placed Canadian Andrew Trevoy.
American Stephanie Ann Schofield won the women’s Half Marathon contest, her total of 14:57:41 more than five hours ahead of her compatriot, Ellie Romnes.
Possibly the most remarkable performance of the race was that of 82-year-old Dan Little, who completed The Great World Race in Miami in 7:47:08. Little completed six of the seven marathons, the extreme weather in Antarctica forcing him to retire after completing the half marathon.
Results
Men
Women
