‘Journey to 750’

Current total at 13th July 2020 = 773 records (including 104 World Age-Group records)

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Press Release: May 28th 2017

Orkney-based ultra marathon runner, William Sichel shows no sign of slowing down as he has launched an unprecedented goal of setting a total of 750 ultra running records, in the coming years, in a project he is calling “Journey to 750”.

This follows on from Project 60@60 (60 records) which he completed in November 2012 and Project165 (165 records) which he achieved in November 2015.

“It’s taken a lot of planning and research to come up with this project and the main difference this time is that I am changing my record criteria and will include treadmill records, various classic event records and most importantly ‘day records’ ie records for every 24 hour period.

This would be up to 50 days as that is the duration of my longest event so far, which I completed in 2014.”

William explained that he had been heavily influenced by Sahishnu Szczesiul, Race Director for the World’s Longest Certified Road Race – 3100 miles – held annually in New York, who has gathered meticulous, daily, race performance data over a 21 year period and encouraged William to include ‘day records’ and single-age records in his new project.

“To have any chance of setting 750 records I will have to compete successfully, at least twice more, in New York as that is the place where these multiday, very long distance records can be set and these are the distances I’m best at these days. My next attempt at the New York race is in a month’s time.

It’s an incredibly ambitious target, that in all honesty, may never be achieved, but that’s what excites me and I have always loved to be tested and this is an amazing test. Can a 64 year old man complete 3100 miles/5000km in 52 days? Well, I believe so, but nobody knows because it has never been done before!”

William Sichel

Link to all record data files

 

Criteria for ‘Journey to 750’ 

  1. William has originated this project himself and has therefore produced his own criteria, largely continuing with those used in Project 60@60 and Project165 but with some significant changes for ‘Journey to 750’.  He wanted the distances and durations chosen to be the most popular and the most challenging ones.
  1. He chose all the distances and durations recognised by the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) and in addition to this he chose some distances and durations where marks already existed so that there were records to go for. This extends right up to 3100 miles/5000kms.
  1. In a similar manner, the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile race, held annually in New York since 1997, has meticulous records of daily performances across all age-groups up to 52 days. They have encouraged William to claim all the ‘day records’ that he has set.
  1. Andy Milroy (statistician for the Road Runners Club) has also indicated that, for very long events, it is reasonable to claim records for units of 500 km and 500 miles on certified courses.
  1. Records claimed will be at World, British and Scottish level, including 5 year age groups, in officially recognised races. Commonwealth and European records are not included.
  2. All records claimed will be meticulously recorded and published on William’s web site williamsichel.co.uk
  3. All races will have been officially endorsed by the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) or the National Athletic Federation of the host country.
  4. William’s record setting exploits will be independently adjudicated by Alan Young – IAAF Grade B Course Measurer and contributor to the Association of Road Racing Statisticians and Stan Jewell – statistician.
  5. William has published an anti-doping position statement which can be viewed here

William Sichel May 8th 2017