First Person to Complete 50 Ultramarathons in All 50 U.S. States in 50 Consecutive Days
Record Holder
Metric
Date Achieved
Location
Atlas Record ID
Brady McDonald
50 ultramarathon-distance runs of at least 50.00 kilometers (31.0686 miles)
12 September 2026
United States
20426080
Brady McDonald completed an ultramarathon-distance effort of at least 50 kilometers in every U.S. state on 50 consecutive days, beginning in Florida on July 25, 2026, and concluding in Honolulu, Hawaii, on September 12, 2026. The undertaking formed part of the Zero to 100 Wishes initiative, combining a nationwide endurance challenge with a fundraising and awareness campaign benefiting children with critical illnesses.
Transparent Adjudicator's Statement
Summary of Claim
Brady McDonald submitted a claim for recognition as the first person to complete 50 ultramarathons in all 50 U.S. states in 50 consecutive days.
For purposes of this record category, a qualifying ultramarathon was defined as a documented on-foot effort of at least 50.00 kilometers completed within the claimed U.S. state on the designated calendar day. Participation in an organized or sanctioned race was not required; qualification was determined by documented distance, date, geographic location and completion of the overall 50-day sequence.
The attempt began in Florida on July 25, 2026, and concluded in Hawaii on September 12, 2026, encompassing all 50 U.S. states on 50 consecutive calendar days.
Evidence Submitted
Atlas World Records received a comprehensive day-by-day evidence package covering all 50 qualifying efforts. The submission included a master evidence tracker, original FIT activity files, Garmin and Strava activity records, recorded distances, timestamps, GPS route information, daily location data, and individual evidence folders corresponding to each state and each day of the challenge.
Where an effort was recorded in multiple GPS segments or on more than one device, the constituent source files were supplied for reconciliation. The submission also included extensive photographic and video documentation from throughout the 50-day journey, including start and finish environments, locations, participants, support activity, and contemporaneous documentation of the challenge.
Comparative and Cross-Archive Benchmark Review
Atlas World Records conducted a comparative review of publicly documented multi-state endurance-running achievements and cross-referenced publicly available records maintained by all major world record organizations.
Documented historical benchmarks include the completion of marathon-distance runs in all 50 U.S. states over 50 consecutive days in 2006, as well as a separate achievement involving 50-mile runs in all 50 states over 62 days. These accomplishments established relevant endurance and logistical precedents but differed materially from the present claim in either qualifying distance or total elapsed duration.
The comparative review did not identify a previously documented completion matching the specific combination of 50 ultramarathon-distance efforts of at least 50 kilometers, in all 50 U.S. states, within 50 consecutive days.
Verification Methodology
Atlas World Records reviewed the attempt on a day-by-day basis rather than relying solely on cumulative mileage or summary totals.
For each qualifying day, Atlas examined the claimed date, state, recorded distance, activity timing, GPS-derived geographic data and the underlying activity files provided. Original FIT files were reviewed where available in order to verify source-level activity information independently of the summary tracker.
Where a day consisted of multiple activity segments, the individual recordings were examined and reconciled to establish the qualifying daily distance. Where simultaneous recordings from multiple devices created overlapping GPS data, duplicate mileage was identified and excluded rather than counted twice.
This methodology was applied particularly carefully to Mississippi, where source files reflected simultaneous recording from different Garmin devices that were subsequently represented through Strava. The overlapping portions were treated as duplicate evidence rather than additional mileage, and the day's documentation was assessed using the combined source files and corroborating evidence as a whole.
Atlas also reviewed the complete chronological sequence to confirm that qualifying efforts occurred on 50 consecutive calendar dates and that all 50 U.S. states were represented. Photographs and video from the daily evidence folders were reviewed as corroborating documentation of Brady McDonald's participation, location and progression through the challenge.
Adjudication Findings
Atlas World Records found the submitted evidence to establish a continuous 50-day sequence beginning July 25, 2026, and ending September 12, 2026, with one qualifying ultramarathon-distance effort associated with each of the 50 U.S. states.
The GPS records, original activity files, timestamps, geographic data, daily evidence logs and extensive supporting media collectively provided multiple independent and complementary forms of documentation. Split recordings and simultaneous device recordings were reconciled at source level so that duplicated activity data was not treated as additional qualifying mileage.
The adjudication further found that the evidence package was internally consistent with the claimed itinerary, dates and geographic progression, and that the submitted documentation was sufficient to substantiate the achievement under the defined criteria for the record category.
The comparative review identified earlier nationwide endurance challenges involving marathon and ultramarathon distances but did not identify a prior documented achievement matching the specific combination of 50 qualifying ultramarathons, all 50 U.S. states and 50 consecutive days.
Conclusion
Based on the totality of the evidence submitted, the source-level GPS review, the chronological and geographic verification, the corroborating photographic and video documentation, and the comparative benchmark research conducted, Atlas World Records certifies Brady McDonald as the holder of the world record for:
First Person to Complete 50 Ultramarathons in All 50 U.S. States in 50 Consecutive Days
The record was completed on September 12, 2026, with the 50th qualifying ultramarathon in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States.
