Smashing the Record: An Interview with Megan Eckert on Her 6-Day World Record at the 2025 Six Days of France

When American Megan Eckert set a brand new ladies’s six-day world report on the Six Days of France on Could 4, 2025, she didn’t simply eek out a number of extra miles than earlier report holder Camille Herron, she ran greater than 40 miles farther than any lady earlier than, setting a brand new normal of 603.155 miles (970.685 kilometers).

That is Eckert’s second world report after she set a brand new ladies’s yard extremely report on the Massive Canine’s Yard Extremely with a distance of 362 miles, or 87 yards (laps) in 2024. She’s a dominant power in multiday lap racing, with total wins on the 2024 Snowdrop Extremely 55 Hour, Saguaro Showdown Yard Extremely, and Six Days within the Dome. She talked about her journey into operating and racing and her first world report in an in-depth iRunFar profile earlier this 12 months.

Now, only a few months later, she’s a double world report holder. In a telephone interview 4 days after the occasion, Eckert talks about how she got here to join the Six Days of France, her private objectives for the race, her pacing and fueling technique, and a number of the highs and lows of the occasion.

You may learn extra about her run in our information article about her world report in addition to take a look at our interview with Ivan Zaborsky who set a males’s six-day world report on the similar occasion.

[Editor’s Note: This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.]

iRunFar: Hello Megan, how are you?

Megan Eckert: I’m drained, after all. Days of journey are actually tough. That was my first journey over to Europe, so on the best way again, it was exhausting. However yeah, aside from that, I’m good. I don’t really feel too poorly contemplating. Simply jetlagged.

iRunFar: Congratulations in your new world report. I really feel prefer it’s been a few months since we final talked, after you set your final world report at Massive’s [Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra]. How does it really feel to be a two-time world report holder?

Eckert: We’re solely what, 4 days post-race, and I don’t assume it’s actually sunk in but that I set the world report. It’s a fairly distinctive, wonderful expertise. I really feel honored. There are usually not many individuals who get to set a world report and even get the chance to. Even simply to have that chance is unbelievable.

iRunFar: So, once we talked, I believe it was in December 2024, you have been speaking about doing the Snowdrop Extremely 55 Hour after which going again to Massive Canine’s’s Yard Extremely for doubtlessly one other crack at that world report. When did the six-day world championships come in your radar?

Eckert: My first six-day run was in June of final 12 months. I did Six Days within the Dome in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I ended up there as a result of I had met Joe Fejes at a race, and he advised me all about six-day races and mentioned, “I believe you is perhaps good at them.” And in order that type of caught at the back of my head. When registration got here up for Six Days within the Dome, I mentioned, Why not give it a shot? Go for six days. And I had a extremely good first expertise. I actually love the six-day format. I just like the challenges that encompass it, and the minute I obtained off the observe on the Dome, I used to be already pondering, What’s my subsequent one going to be? And it will probably’t be a 12 months from now. I wish to do one other one. I can’t bodily do one other one now, however I wish to do one other one. And that’s how Six Days of France ended up being the occasion that I picked.

Constant pacing and a watch on operating greater than 600 miles noticed Megan Eckert far exceed the prior ladies’s six-day world report.

iRunFar: Did you select it as a result of it was the world championships?

Eckert: No. I selected it as a result of I had heard superb issues concerning the location and the course itself. It’s a really distinctive a part of France, type of tucked not fairly within the mountains but, however there’s a fantastic river that flows via the campground [where the race took place]. There’s a variety of assist at that race. It’s only a very nice location. It was extra, If I’m going to run for six days, it’d as nicely be in a fantastic place.

iRunFar: Coming into the race, did you’re feeling totally recovered from the Snowdrop Extremely 55 Hour?

Eckert:  I did really feel totally recovered from Snowdrop. I had chosen to stroll my 55 hours at Snowdrop simply to have a reset. I didn’t have to race that one. I believe it’s essential to have A races after which races that you simply simply go and goof off and have a superb time. And so Snowdrop I made that my “have a superb time, goof off, discuss to folks, benefit from the expertise” and never race, and I believe that actually benefited me going into this race, the place I hadn’t had a bunch of races the place I pushed proper in a row going into this.

iRunFar: You took Six Days of France out rather a lot slower than the world report tempo. Did you may have the world report in thoughts while you went into this? And was your pacing intentional to take it out a bit of bit slower than what Camille Herron has achieved?

Eckert: Sure, most positively. I had the world report in thoughts going into this, and to be completely trustworthy, I had 600 miles going via my thoughts going into this. That was the final word purpose, world report or not, I needed to get to 600. So going out sluggish was intentional. I’m not a quick runner. I don’t have a observe background.  I don’t have a half-marathon background. I did two marathons after which dove into ultrarunning and path operating, so my background just isn’t velocity. I needed to play to my very own strengths, and pacing is a type of issues that I’m very, superb at. I really feel like I’m able to keep a slower tempo for an extended time period.

iRunFar: And what was the pacing plan for the six days, simply by way of sleep, taking breaks, and consuming?

Eckert: Sleep was about each 12 hours. It diversified relying on how fatigued I used to be on the time and what mileage I additionally wanted to go for the subsequent block.

iRunFar: Did you may have a go-to snack that was good for the entire time?

Eckert: I imply, these items are “eat as a lot as you may so you may gas your physique to maintain going.” And, I’m a really sluggish eater. So, my husband, who’s my crew chief, was simply, “Shove meals in your mouth, get going. You’ve obtained to go.” And I’m sitting there nibbling on rice muffins. Every little thing I began with, I used to be capable of eat all through the race. I used to be very fortunate that I didn’t have to vary my diet. So, I had bowls of gummy bears. I had barbecue potato chips. I had pasta, eggs. And for all of those races, my turkey and pickle sandwiches that I used at Massive’s. I used them once more right here. It all the time works.

iRunFar: Have been you operating largely primarily based on really feel, or did you may have a set distance you needed to cowl each six hours? Was your crew telling you you might want to go sooner, you might want to go slower, or have been you simply operating?

Eckert: It was a mix of each as a result of it’s such an extended time period and the climate circumstances diversified a lot. The primary day it poured down rain. There have been puddles on the course and so we have been having to go off the observe a bit of bit into the mud simply on the skin edge and are available again in as a result of the puddles have been three inches deep in spots. So on these days when it’s like that, it’s not value it to hit mileage. It’s simply persevering with to maneuver ahead. And the identical with the new afternoons. There have been afternoons that have been within the higher 70s Fahrenheit, the solar was totally beating down on us, and people mileages didn’t matter. After which there have been instances the place circumstances have been good, and I picked it up, and I had a plan for these. So it’s a stability between enjoying the course, the circumstances, and what your physique is feeling all on the similar time.

iRunFar: Do you’re feeling such as you have been the one making selections, or did your crew mainly inform you what to do?

Eckert: Often, I’d exit for six to 12 hours, after which I’d come again and be like, “Hey, how did that one go?” And they might give me a thumbs up or thumbs down. However in these, I discover that I don’t wish to push too arduous, and I do know what too arduous seems to be like for me since you wish to go the entire 144 hours. So no matter I used to be ready to do this felt snug bodily and emotionally was okay for that block.

Megan Eckert grew to become the primary lady to run greater than 600 miles in six days.

iRunFar: And you then smashed the world report by 40-some-odd miles. Was there some extent, since you have been under world report tempo for lots of it, while you knew that you simply have been going to get the world report?

Eckert: I didn’t know till I had it. And the one purpose I say that’s due to my expertise at Massive’s the place I went out on that evening lap, and I’m like, I could make all of it evening. After which impulsively, my calves seized up and I used to be hobbling half a mile in quarter-hour or one thing, so I do know these issues can occur so rapidly. They may occur half a mile earlier than and forestall you from reaching your objectives. So, I didn’t know I had it till I truly obtained there.

iRunFar: You have been by no means capable of chill out and cruise?

Eckert: I knew if I stayed relaxed then the purpose was extra achievable than if I harassed over hitting it. I consider in setting these mini objectives all through. So my PR was 526 miles in my earlier six-day effort, in order that was the large one which hit that earlier purpose. Then I used to be capable of knock off these little issues alongside the best way, these little accomplishments that have been significant to me and possibly no one else cared, however they meant one thing to me.

iRunFar: Did you may have any specific highs and lows both bodily or mentally all through the six days? Moments you’ll all the time keep in mind or moments you hope to neglect endlessly?

Eckert: The warmth on the ultimate afternoon, it simply felt like someone had turned the furnace up. As a result of the physique will get so drained, it has such a tough time regulating temperatures towards the tip. It was arduous to push via that. Then, the primary evening once we went in for our first sleep, I wouldn’t name this a low, it was type of a type of issues the place I used to be like, No, this may not go in accordance with plan.

They’ve us in these little cabins, and we have now all our clothes arrange and the meals arrange and whatnot. You go in, you sleep, you return out on track. This was our first time attempting to navigate the cabin scenario of get meals in you, go down for a bit, get some sleep, get your footwear on, get again on the market. And my crew chief and I hadn’t practiced this, and we have been simply bumping into one another on this cabin attempting to get able to go down, or attempting to get able to exit, and saying, “We’re going to have to determine one thing higher as a result of we’re losing worthwhile time right here attempting to navigate this cabin.” Which truly is type of humorous, how horrible that first sleep was. I imply, we actually have been shouldering one another. And the crew chief is my husband, so we are able to giggle about it.

iRunFar: I keep in mind you telling me that while you did — I believe it was your first marathon in 2016 — that it rained and was depressing weatherwise, and also you completely beloved it. So when it began to rain on the final eight hours of this race, have been you excited for rain or have been you simply able to be achieved?

Eckert: I used to be very excited for the rain till I noticed I didn’t have sufficient clothes on, and I obtained very chilly and got here onto the porch. My temperature had plummeted, and I wanted to get dried off and alter garments and so forth. As soon as I obtained the clothes regulated, I didn’t thoughts the rain one bit.

iRunFar: I really like the way you excel below tough circumstances.

Eckert: It’s a part of the problem. I appreciated this one being outside as a result of there have been extra challenges, too, past simply operating for six days. There was no telling what the climate would throw at us or what we had. There have been these little issues right here and there, issues that we needed to navigate.

iRunFar: Thanks a lot for taking the time to speak. Your world report was large, and it was so thrilling to observe.

Eckert: Thanks a lot.

Working within the rain didn’t cease Megan Eckert’s constant tempo.