Some people just have an infectious level of passion. And America’s Dan Little is one of them. 82 years young, Little is mostly spotted out and about in his running gear, achieving his goals. With over 230 marathons and ultramarathons to his name, he has conquered every major circuit from the USA and Australia to the unforgiving ice of Antarctica. And yesterday, he ticked off yet another major milestone!

At 82 years and 359 days old, Little became the oldest person ever to complete a half-marathon on 7 continents in 7 days. He has completed this 777 Great World Race not once but four times in his life, enduring weather, about 68 hours in the air on flights, and fatigue throughout the 7 days. Thus, taking this on is an applaudable achievement, and very few athletes have ever done it. But at his age, we should just call Little a superhuman for nailing this four times.

Dan Little first took on this monumental feat in 2019, then returned in 2023 and 2024. Yet, despite repeatedly conquering the challenge, the veteran runner still aims to get better. He has now launched an ambition to complete it in even less time.

“You know it was hard, it was slow. Next year, I’m gonna cut a minute per mile off. I will be the oldest, hopefully not the slowest, we will see, ” Little laughed it off right after crossing the finish line of the 2025 Great World Race. And that sure sounds like a strong affirmation he just took on.

However, we can hardly imagine that Little would get slower in the future. After all, last time, when he took on this race at 81, he began his journey enduring Antartica’s chilly weather finishing the first half marathon in 3:38:57, and then powered through the harsh heat of Africa, clocking 3:47:01. These were followed by his races in Australia in 4:01:12, Europe in 4:43:13, Asia in 3:35:10, South America in 4:11:50, until he concluded the final leg in North America in 3:56:54.

But can you believe that this passion wasn’t always part of his life? Yes, Little’s athletic journey actually began with tennis before he discovered running in his late 30s, and from that moment on, he never looked back. Want to know a little more about his life?

A peek into Dan Little’s race preparation and life beyond marathons

Dan Little’s love for running is evident; it gets him to work out 7 days a week. Also, he wishes to keep running till he’s 90. Apart from this, Little lives by the philosophy of “never using willpower.” More of his habits include having a unique race day approach. During his conversation on the Great World Race podcast in February 2025, Little was asked about his race-day preparation — and his answer? Well, it was exactly what you’d expect from the veteran.

“I used to do that, but now you know any day I want to, I can do a marathon, so there’s not the same preparation, it’s just uh get a good night’s sleep and get up and do it.”

Having already completed more than 200 races, Little now sets his sights on the next milestone, reaching 365 marathons and completing seven Ironman-distance races. In his journey, his wife, Prudence, has stood as a constant force behind his success while he kept pushing towards his goals.

And now, with his eyes already set on the next target, the octogenarian still has miles left to conquer, and who knows, he might just make another world record at the Great World Marathon next year!