Las Vegas man to run 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days

Las Vegas Review-Journal

6 years ago

Tourists hike Dec. 7 on an island on the western peninsula of Antarctica. (Wayne Dunn via AP)

Michael Crome runs in the first Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada 4.01k Race for Financial Fitness in 2018. (Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada)

People watch the sun set over the Dubai skyline in October 2016. (AP file)

Michael Crome shows off his second-place medal after finishing the first Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada 4.01k Race for Financial Fitness. (Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada)

Michael Crome has always liked adventure and physical activity, and his latest endeavor has him running 20 miles every day and making frequent trips to Mount Charleston to practice running in the snow. Beginning Jan. 28, Crome, 41, will participate in the World Marathon Challenge — seven races on seven continents in seven days.

Crome, a Summerlin resident, will start in Antarctica. He will then travel to, in order, Cape Town in South Africa, Perth in Australia, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Madrid in Spain, Santiago in Chile and Miami. His goal is to raise $25,000 for Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada via sponsorships. As of Jan. 16, he had raised $4,590.

JA is a nationwide organization founded in 1919 to help ensure children in kindergarten through 12th grade learn life skills like personal budgeting, responsible credit use and economic principles.

Crome grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and was involved in JA at a young age. Through the JA there, he learned about entrepreneurship and finance.

“I can see now some of the seeds that were planted back then from JA that got me into the finance world,” Crome said. He said he works in business finance and analytics and is on hiatus to train for his race.

Crome moved to Las Vegas in August 2016 to be closer to his now-wife and served on the local JA board of directors for 10 years. He said he hopes the marathon and fundraiser will help bring exposure to JA of Southern Nevada.

Crome said that from his training for the World Marathon Challenge, he has learned the preparation is more mental than physical.

“I’ve been reading about the other runners; I’ve been trying to get into the right mindset,” Crome said.

Crome said his training on Mount Charleston will prepare him for the snow in Antarctica, but not the cold.

The World Marathon Challenge’s website predicts the temperatures will range from about 15 degrees Fahrenheit in Antarctica to the high 70s in Cape Town, Perth, Dubai, Santiago and Miami.

Crome said his wife will watch him run the marathon in Madrid and Miami and others, including his daughter, mother, mother-in-law and some running friends, will meet in Miami to watch him finish the series of races.

Crome said he is both most excited for and dreading Antarctica.

“It will be a cool experience to run on the ice and be out there,” Crome said. “Other runners talk about how gorgeous it is. At the same time I am nervous about it. One of the previous runners said it gets to about 20 degrees below zero.”

Of the seven places Crome is running, he has been to only Miami and Cape Town.

Crome paid the race entrance fee, so all of the money he raises will go to JA.

Contact Rachel Spacek at 702-387-2921 or rspacek@reviewjournal.com. Follow @RachelSpacek on Twitter.