Hellah Sidibe: runner on seven-year streak nets PR at Javelina Jundred
Hellah Sidibe has run every day since May 15, 2017, and his seven-year streak shows no sign of ending.
Neither does his pace show any sign of decreasing. In fact, the former pro soccer player crossed the line in last week's Javelina Jundred in a time of 21h 37m: a PR over the 100-mile distance.
Writing on Instagram, Hellah said he "executed the race exactly the way I wanted", though record-breaking highs in the Arizona desert race – the temperature topped out at 99°F (37°C) – certainly took their toll.
"Surprisingly I still felt strong through the hottest parts of the day," he said. "The race caught up to me near my last loop and for the first time in my running journey I dealt with some stomach issues and nausea. I think my bragging about having a strong stomach said, 'you gon learn today!'
"Mannnnn I felt like I was going to throw up every step I took. We had to slow it down and walk a lot in the end despite my legs feeling good. I felt confident in how I went out a little faster that I’d still be able to run it in a time I was proud of."
Most of Hellah's 4,800+ Strava miles have been on the roads but in a recent interview with the Guardian, he said he found trail running fun in a different way.
"I just feel like a little kid," he said, adding that when he records himself and watches the footage back later, he realises he's making noises as he runs. "I'm just like, 'Haaa!' – these weird noises, I don't even know that's happening at the time," he said.