Rik Vercoe
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| Nationality | British | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 1971/72 (aged 50/51) | ||||||||||||||
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| Club | 100 Marathon Club | ||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||
| Personal bests |
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Medal record
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| Updated on 13 March 2015. | |||||||||||||||
Rik Vercoe is a British ultramarathon runner from Walton on Thames, Surrey, England. In 2013 he set the British record for most marathons completed in 365 days, having run 152 races at marathon distance and above.[1]
While setting the British record for most marathons in a year, Vercoe won both the Brathay and Irish 10 marathons in 10 days races. He was also one of the first two people to complete the Ultra Running Relentless race, which involves running an average of 30 miles a day for 30 days through all of the 47 counties in England.[1] At the end of 2013, while running 16 marathons in Long Beach, California, Vercoe picked up the world record for the fastest aggregate time for 10 marathons in 10 days.[2]
Aged 43, he also set a new world record at the 2014 London Marathon for the fastest marathon dressed as a cowboy in a time of 3:09:09.[3] He took 32 minutes off the previous record.[4] However, he was beaten by 39 seconds by the 'fastest jockey'.[5] After completing the race he said:
I have to say that running dressed in blue jeans and leather chaps was not the best of ideas on one of the hottest days of the year so far. Needless to say I will indeed be walking like a cowboy for at least a week.[4]
Previously, Vercoe competed in the 2010 North Pole Marathon, representing Great Britain and finishing in second place in a time of 5:07:30 behind Joep Rozendal of the Netherlands.[6] In April 2013, he ran the Marathon des Sables, often billed as the toughest race on earth, finishing in 39th place out of 1,024 runners, then a few days later ran the London Marathon in his desert attire to raise more funds for his chosen charity, the Brathay Trust.[7]
Aside from running, Vercoe is an avid scuba diver. By 2010, he had made over 1400 dives in 30 locations worldwide. He has written a number of guide books on diving:[8][9]
- Vercoe, Rik (2008). Hurghada: Diving Guide. Travelling Diver.
- Vercoe, Rik (2008). Sharm el Sheikh: Diving Guide. Travelling Diver.
- Vercoe, Rik (2007). Red Sea Wrecks - Northern Egypt: Site-by-site Dive Guide.
- Vercoe, Rik (2012). Northern Wrecks and Reefs Liveaboard: Diving Guide. Travelling Diver.
- Vercoe, Rik (2008). Safaga: Site-by-site Dive Guide. Travelling Diver.
- Vercoe, Rik (2012). El-Gouna: Diving Guide. Travelling Diver.
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Break two running records... by accident". Runner's World. 23 (5): 35. May 2014.
- ^ "Fastest time to complete 10 marathons in 10 days (male)". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- ^ Lynch, Kevin. "Virgin London Marathon 2014: All the world records from this year's race confirmed". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ^ a b Talbot, Charlotte (15 April 2014). "Runners across the county take on the London Marathon". Get Surrey. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- ^ Guinness World Records 2015: Bonus Chapter. Guinness World Records. p. 3. ISBN 9781908843722.
- ^ "2010 North Pole Marathon Results". North Pole Marathon. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- ^ Talbot, Charlotte (25 April 2013). "Sahara marathon's blistering temperatures and feet". Get Surrey. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
- ^ "2010 Competitors". North Pole Marathon. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- ^ "Rik Vercoe Author Page". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
External links[edit]
- Rik Vercoe profile at Power of 10