The influencer and athlete Estefanía Unzu Ripollbetter known as Verdelisshas reached an unprecedented feat when completing the World Marathon Challenge 2025. This challenge, considered one of the most demanding worldwide, consists of running seven marathons in seven days, crossing the seven continents of the planet. Verdels not only conquered the test with an outstanding performance, but also, he did it with a solidarity cause in mind: Claudia’s fight, a six-year-old girl diagnosed with Menke-Hennekam syndrome, a rare disease that affects less of one hundred people in the world.
An unparalleled challenge
The World Marathon Challenge is a prove that Challenge all the limits of human resistance. Each participant must complete a 42,195 kilometers marathon For seven consecutive days, while facing extreme climatic conditions, time spindle changes, physical exhaustion and constant alterations in logistics. Verdels, mother of eight children, not only managed to complete the challenge, but did it with exceptional skill and consistency. She was the winner of six of the seven races, positioning himself as number one in the general classification, above both men and women competitors.
The test began on January 31 in the Antarcticawhere Verdeliss faced icy temperatures and snow -covered land. Despite the difficulties, the marathon completed in 3 hours, 38 minutes and 53 seconds, a notable time given the adverse conditions. From there, he moved to Cape Cityin Africa, where he recorded a time of 3:10:14. In perth, Australiahis brand was 3:10:30, and in Dubai, Asiait reached its best time of 3:09:46, demonstrating an incredible resistance capacity.
The tour continued in Madrid, where the influencer ran in the Jarama circuit, overcoming the slopes of the land with a time of 3:11:30. In Fortaleza, Brazil, high humidity was another physical challenge, but Verdeliss managed to complete the test at 3:12:20, maintaining its leadership. However, the last race, in Miami, was the toughest of all. The exhaustion, dehydration and stomach problems put it to the limit, leading it to face a series of extreme physical difficulties. “I couldn’t stop vomiting during the race. It has been pulling the heart, ”confessed the athlete after crossing the goal in 3 hours, 35 minutes and 15 seconds. Although he did not achieve the first place in Miami, his advantage of almost an hour over his closest opponent, the Japanese Tomomi Bitoh, allowed him to ensure first place in the general classification, which crowned it as the winner of the challenge.
A world record
Beyond the title at the World Marathon Challenge, Verdels achieved an additional achievement: a new Guinness record. With an average time of 3 hours and 18 minutes per marathon, it exceeded the previous brand of 3 hours, 25 minutes and 57 seconds, established by the Danish Kristina Schou Madsen in 2020. This feat not only positioned it in the history of sport, but also that also consolidated it as an example of resilience and perseverance.
A solidarity cause
Verdeliss’s challenge was not just sports. The athlete ran each marathon with the purpose of raising funds for Claudia, a six-year-old girl affected by Menke-Hennekam syndrome, an extremely rare genetic disease that affects only 81 people in the world. Through its crowdfunding platform in Gofundme, Verdeliss managed to mobilize her community to support little Claudia and her family in her daily struggle against this disease. In her social networks, the athlete said: “I will run 295 kilometers, but for families affected by a rare disease, the marathon is daily and the goal seems never to arrive.”
This solidarity of Verdeliss was also a way to make visible the difficulties facing those who suffer from rare diseases and families fighting for treatments and solutions. Through its feat, Verdels could touch the heart of many people, expanding awareness about causes that often go unnoticed.
Criticism of the organization
Despite the resounding success, Verdeliss soon manifest some criticisms of the organization of the event. In his social networks, he expressed his discontent for the organization of the challengeespecially for the compression of the seven marathons in less than six days, which considerably increased the difficulty of the challenge. “Because of the lack of sleep, the null recovery, survive in airplanes and airports, the time differences, the climatological jumps … It has been a crazy lack of control,” said Verdels, highlighting how strenuous the experience was the experience in logistics terms.
A story of overcoming
Verdeliss’s achievement is also a personal overcoming story. After resuming her passion for running after the gang, the athlete had completed monthly marathons in 2024, but the World Marathon Challenge was undoubtedly her greatest challenge to date. “It has been to pull the heart, to show that I could overcome myself. For my family and for the followers who have supported me. For showing that you have to fight for dreams,” he said after crossing the goal in Miami.
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