In 2024, Modern Athlete brought you the remarkable story of Henk Moen, the former chemical engineer who set a Guinness World Record he hadn’ t initially set out to break.

Henk originally claimed the title for the fastest aggregate time to run an ultramarathon on each of the seven continents, with a time of 42:05:22, an achievement made even more impressive by the fact that he’ d recently undergone major surgery for a rare birth defect in his calf. Since then, the 55-year-old’ s journey has shifted from " accidental " record-holder to serious contender. He’ s lost the original record, fought to regain it, and continues to strive to improve it so as not to lose it again. We caught up with him to find out how it all played out …

Q1.

When did you hear you’ d lost the record, and what was your response?

Guinness doesn’ t notify you if you lose a record. I found out by chance on 1 February 2025 while preparing documentation for the Dead Sea Ultra … and I then saw that my record was broken by Brandon Foor … I now had to improve [ my time ] enough to get the record back. I succeeded in doing so. The original record was 48:20:23 and I had improved it to 42:05:22. Brandon improved it to 38:41:46 and at the Dead Sea, I improved it to 38:20:30.

Q2.

How did you go about bettering it even further?

I’ ve improved the 7-ultras-on-7-continents record several times … I am now waiting for confirmation that it is 33:14:28. I replaced the slowest ultras in the group by going back to that continent and running a( different) race faster. Second time around, speed was of the essence, so I looked for relatively flat road runs.

What keeps you motivated through

Q3. all the hard training and travel?

There is no money in this, nor do I have any sponsors of any sort. So my motivation is purely internal, a need for achievement and in this instance, the recognition one gets from Guinness helps.

Which races stand out as the

Q4. most memorable?

There are so many different parameters that make it impossible to compare … The trail run I did in Kackar in Turkey was probably one of the most beautiful( but also the slowest). The Rio Marathon has an incredible vibe … Antarctica is super special, not only because of the nature, but also because it is such a privilege, and so few will ever see it.

Photo credit: Henk Moen

Q5.

What does your training involve?

I complicate it for a coach( I am with Fordyce Fusion) as one is not supposed to run ultras as regularly as I do. It does imply that I cannot run my best times, but I cannot wait three months between attempts, and the opportunities do not come when they are convenient either. So to a degree, my races are part of training too. I appear to be fortunate to recover fairly quickly( so I am told).

Q6.

Have you met or been in contact with Brandon Foor and know whether he’ s hoping to regain the record?

We met in Antarctica and again in Rio and Sydney. Interactions were civilised … he blocked me on social media, so it’ s mostly a rivalry from afar. Improving my records while I’ m the holder makes it harder for him to catch up.

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