In the early hours of May 15, 2025, Shannon-Leigh Litt laced up her shoes for the 500th time in as many days and headed out to complete a 52km run in Whangārei, New Zealand. The 46-year-old criminal defence lawyer has been on a relentless journey since January 1, 2024, running an ultra of at least 50km every single day, with the goal of setting a new world record.
Balancing the courtroom and the course
Juggling her demanding legal career with this time-consuming physical challenge, Litt has found innovative ways to manage both. She uses technology to stay on top of her work, telling the New Zealand news outlet Stuff, “It’s artificial intelligence that lets me upload files and listen while I run.” This approach allows her to prepare for court cases during her daily runs. After completing her 500th ultra, she rewarded herself with a facial before heading back to court for a bail hearing.
The emotional terrain
Litt’s journey has been emotionally taxing as well as physically. “The last couple of months have been pretty tough emotionally. I’ve gone through more life changes in the past 500 days than I have in the last decade,” she told Stuff. Despite the challenges, she feels transformed: “This whole experience has changed me—I feel more connected to people and it’s made me grow.”
Eyes on the next milestone
While 500 ultras is a monumental achievement, Litt isn’t stopping there. She aims to reach at least 603 consecutive ultras, surpassing the men’s record for consecutive marathons. Litt blew past U.S. ultrarunner and race director Candice Burt’s world record of 200 days in July 2024, but she hasn’t made things official yet. To ensure that her record will be recognized, she’s meticulously documenting each run, including GPS data, witness statements and video footage. “I won’t say it’s an official world record until all of the paperwork, over 200 witnesses, log book and footage is all submitted and I can only do that when I finish running 51km a day.”
