A Marathon a Day

Belgian runner Hilde Dosogne ran a marathon every day in 2024.

Hilde Dosogne ran a marathon every day for a year. Dosogne completed her final run, on December 31, 2024, surrounded by well-wishers.

Running one marathon is challenging enough for most people—but Hilde Dosogne isn’t most people. The Belgian runner ran a marathon every single day of 2024.

Beginning on January 1, 2024, Dosogne, 55, ran a marathon length (26.2 miles or 42.2 kilometers) every day for 366 days (2024 was a leap year). She took on the challenge to raise money for breast cancer. By the end of the year, she had collected about 65,000 euros (more than 67,000 dollars) in donations for the charity BIG Against Breast Cancer.

Dosogne is an experienced runner. In 2022 and 2023, she ran the 153-mile (246-kilometer) race called the Spartathlon in Greece. Even so, daily marathons posed a special challenge. On top of going to work and caring for her kids, Dosogne had to be ready to run a long distance every day, no matter what the weather brought or how she was feeling.

And she wasn’t always feeling great. During the year, Dosogne suffered from COVID-19, the flu, and blisters. One day, she fell and dislocated her finger after running 17 miles (27 kilometers). After a trip to the emergency room, she returned home and started the day’s run all over again. Despite all this, Dosogne said the hardest part was convincing herself to keep going.

“The mental strain is harder than the physical. Of course, physically, everything has to be okay. Otherwise, you can’t run for four hours every day,” Dosogne told the Associated Press. “But it was more [mentally difficult] to be there at the start-line every day.”

Dosogne tried to make each marathon as “easy” as possible by running on a flat (not hilly) loop near her home and inviting friends to run with her. The friends also served as witnesses who could prove that Dosogne was covering the full distance every day.

Dosogne has plenty of evidence that she ran all those marathons, and she plans to send it along with an application to Guinness World Records. Dosogne’s feat was a first—no woman had ever before run a marathon every day in a single year.

Did You Know?

According to legend, in 490 BCE, an ancient Greek soldier ran about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the Greek city of Marathon to Athens to report that the Greeks had defeated the Persians in battle. This story is said to have inspired the modern marathon race.

NEWS EXTRA!

Wildfires Strike Los Angeles

Two people hug and weep while kneeling in ruins from a fire. — Shannon Hahn hugs her friend, Peggie Martin, who lost the house where she grew up.

Two women wear respiratory masks as they sort through fire wreckage. — Sisters Ariana Derderian and Karina Nazarian look for any belongings that may have survived after one of the fires destroyed their childhood home.

At a donation site outside a stadium, a man hands a full bag to a volunteer. — This donation site was set up outside of the arena where the Los Angeles Lakers play home games.

A woman holds a child and they smile at each other with donated clothing on offer in the background. — Zahrah Mihm holds her son during a visit to a donation center after losing their home and belongings in one of the fires.

A woman wearing a neon vest gives bottled beverages and other supplies to an unseen person inside a car. — This donation center distributes food, drinks, and other supplies to anyone who needs them.

A man and a woman carry packages of bottled water amid piles of similar packages in an open lot. — Volunteers carry water to people who have evacuated their homes.

A child stands in the middle of a pile of donated clothing and holds up a doll. — A young girl plays with her doll as her family looks through donated clothes.

© Barbara Davidson—The Washington Post/Getty Images, © Barbara Davidson—The Washington Post/Getty Images, © Frederic J. Brown—AFP/Getty Images, © Etienne Laurent—AFP/Getty Images, © Lokman Vural Elibol—Anadolu/Getty Images, © Etienne Laurent—AFP/Getty Images, © Etienne Laurent—AFP/Getty Images

Thousands of homes and businesses have been destroyed in multiple wildfires that broke out across Los Angeles, California, beginning on January 7. The damage is nearly indescribable. What is clear is that, in the midst of a crisis, people have been eager to help.

Fighting the Fires

Fanned by high winds, the fires spread quickly in directions that were hard to predict. Several U.S. states, as well as Mexico and Canada, sent firefighters to work alongside the Los Angeles Fire Department. Some crews worked on the ground, while others piloted aircraft that dropped fire retardant and even ocean water onto the city.

Helping Neighbors

Residents, charitable organizations, and local businesses sprang into action. Some turned their shops, offices, or headquarters into collection sites where residents could bring donations. Others offered rides to people who had been ordered to evacuate their homes.

Several hotels opened their doors to people who had to evacuate or who had lost their homes. And animal shelters took in pets whose owners had been forced to leave them behind. As local shelters became full, other rescue organizations arrived to fly animals to shelters in other states.

Giving Back

The fires have affected Los Angeles residents from all walks of life, from celebrities to everyday people. Those who were less affected quickly offered their support. Beyoncé, for example, announced that her foundation would donate $2.5 million to churches, community centers, and residents. Most of the generosity has come from regular Americans. They are donating food, clothing, supplies, and money.

Officials say Los Angeles appreciates the support. It may be needed for weeks and months to come.

Click through the slideshow above, which shows some of the people who are helping wildfire victims.

Martin Luther King, Jr., Day

Today, January 20, 2025, is Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, a U.S. holiday that marks King’s birthday and honors the civil rights leader. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day was established in 1983. But the origins of the holiday stretch back much further.

U.S. congressman John Conyers introduced legislation to honor King’s birthday in April 1968, just days after the civil rights leader was assassinated. Although Conyers had support from Black members of Congress, it was not enough to get the bill put up for a vote. He would reintroduce the bill every year.

During the 1970s, due partly to the hard work of King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, public support for the bill grew stronger. Congressional support also increased, and by 1979, the bill had enough backing to be voted on. But even with support from U.S. president Jimmy Carter and a petition with 300,000 signatures, Congress rejected the bill by five votes.

By 1983, public support for formal recognition of King was overwhelming. That year, both houses of Congress voted to designate the third January of each year as Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. President Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law on November 2, 1983.

Where Democracy Began

The ruins of ancient Athens, Greece, are still standing.

You read that the marathon is said to have originated in ancient Greece. But did you know that Greece was also the birthplace of democracy? You can read more about the rise and fall of this early civilization at Britannica!

WORD OF THE DAY

beleaguer

PART OF SPEECH:

: to cause constant or repeated trouble for (a person, business, etc.)

Definition:

: to make (something) known to someone

Definitions provided by

Word Search

All the words in this puzzle are related to ancient Greece. See if you can find them.

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