Aleksandr Sorokin Runs New 24-Hour World Record

Lithuania’s Aleksandr Sorokin sets the 24-hour world record by running 309.400 kilometers (to be confirmed).

By on August 29, 2021 | Comments

Lithuanian Aleksandr Sorokin has done it again, this time setting a new 24-hour world record by running 309.400 kilometers (192.252 miles) at the 2021 UltraPark Weekend 24 Hour race in Poland on August 28 and 29, 2021. The distance is still to be confirmed. Incredibly, to achieve this record, he ran an average pace of 4:39 minutes per kilometer (7:29 minutes per mile) for 24 hours.

This represents an improvement of almost six kilometers on what was previously thought to be almost-unbreakable 24-hour records set by Greek ultrarunning legend Yiannis Kouros of 303.506 kilometers (188.590 miles) on the track in 1997 and 290.221 kilometers (180.335 miles) on the road in 1998.

In April of this year, Sorokin also set new 150-kilometer, 12-hour, and 100-mile world records an an event in England. Read our news article about and interview with Sorokin to learn more about this previous effort. He’s also the reigning IAU 24-hour world champion, after winning the 2019 edition of that race with 278.972 kilometers (173.345 miles) run.

The UltraPark Weekend 24 Hour race organization’s Facebook page indicates that the event took place at Wolności Park in the Polish town of Pabianice, and that the route is flat, paved, and approximately 1.07 miles per lap.

Here are the full results from the event, and you can now read our interview with Sorokin following this effort.

Aleksandr Sorokin - 2021 UltraPark Weekend 24 Hour - 24 hour world record

Aleksandr Sorokin sets a 24-hour world record at the 2021 UltraPark Weekend 24 Hour. Photo: UltraPark Weekend 24 Hour

Meghan Hicks

Meghan Hicks is the Editor-in-Chief of iRunFar. She’s been running since she was 13 years old, and writing and editing about the sport for around 15 years. She served as iRunFar’s Managing Editor from 2013 through mid-2023, when she stepped into the role of Editor-in-Chief. Aside from iRunFar, Meghan has worked in communications and education in several of America’s national parks, was a contributing editor for Trail Runner magazine, and served as a columnist at Marathon & Beyond. She’s the co-author of Where the Road Ends: A Guide to Trail Running with Bryon Powell. She won the 2013 Marathon des Sables, finished on the podium of the Hardrock 100 Mile in 2021, and has previously set fastest known times on the Nolan’s 14 mountain running route in 2016 and 2020. Based part-time in Moab, Utah and Silverton, Colorado, Meghan also enjoys reading, biking, backpacking, and watching sunsets.