‘I can do hard things’: Amputee athlete runs 104 marathons in 104 days

Jacky Hunt-Broersma was worried initially how her body would react and whether her stump and blade would endure for the long period.

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Revealing her indomitable spirit, her Instagram bio says, "I can do hard things."

A marathon is never a cakewalk. Participating in a single marathon can be challenging for many and repeating it every day for 104 days is a gruelling task, demanding high stamina and endurance.

However, an amputee runner and cancer survivor, Jacky Hunt-Broersma, has left people astounded after running 26.2 miles every day for three and a half months between January and April in Arizona, US. Broersma has started applying for the Guinness World Record. The current record stands at 95, set by American Alyssa Clark, a non-amputee runner in 2020, as per a BBC report.

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The 46-year-old woman has documented her 104-day feat on her Instagram account, where she has 52,300 followers. In one of her posts, she is seen running towards the finishing line. “102 Marathons in a 102 days. Nothing like that finish line feeling. #icandohardthings,” she wrote. Revealing her indomitable spirit, her Instagram bio says, “I can do hard things.”

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A post shared by Jacky Hunt-Broersma (@ncrunnerjacky)

There were tough and low moments during her adventure. There were worries if her stump and blade would endure the long run.

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“I didn’t know how my body would react, and it just showed me how strong our bodies can be,” Broersma was quoted as saying by CNN.” Every day, I kind of just got on with it and got stronger and stronger … your body is just incredible,” she added.

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A post shared by Jacky Hunt-Broersma (@ncrunnerjacky)

The native of South Africa was diagnosed with bone cancer at the age of 26 and her leg was amputated. While people told her she could not do certain things, she remained positive. Running with her prosthetic leg gave her a sense of freedom.

“And then when I put on a running blade, there was a sense of freedom. I felt like I was flying and I was doing something that I thought I couldn’t do,” Broersma told CNN.