Goal met
Payne runs marathons on all seven continents
Vicky Payne had a mission: to complete a marathon on each of the seven continents. Last year, she achieved her goal.
In May, Payne, Big Rivers Electric Corporation’s manager of fuels procurement, raced in Patagonia in South America—the sixth continent she crossed off her racing list. At first, it seemed like the perfect running day. Then, about halfway in, the wind kicked up to 40 miles per hour, the temperature plummeted, and rain began to fall. Conditions were so brutal that a few racers dropped out due to hypothermia. “So, it was a tough course, but I finished it,” Payne says.
Three months later, Payne landed in Sydney, Australia, where she not only checked off her seventh continent, but it was also her seventh world major and 27th marathon. “Sydney was somewhat of a hilly course, but absolutely amazing,” says Payne. “We couldn’t have asked for better running conditions there, so I got to go out on a really, really good note for the seventh continent.”
Even so, Payne found herself feeling emotional as she neared the finish line in Sydney. She recalls, “I was already tearing up for the last half mile to a mile of the race just because it was such a huge accomplishment.”
Since she returned from Australia, people keep asking Payne the same question: “What’s next?”
Well, she recently competed in her first Tough Mudder competition in Nashville, Tennessee. There, Payne participated in an infinity loop, where competitors have nine hours to run the course as many times as they can. In total, she ran nearly 21 miles.
Payne plans to enter future races in locations that are also vacation destinations to spend time with her 14-year-old son, Levi. An African safari is already on her radar.
Five years passed from the time Payne first set her goal of running on all seven continents to crossing the finish line in Australia. How did she stay motivated? “My love for running and the friendships I made along the way,” she says. She also had supporters—her mom and biggest fan, Carman, as well as her running partner, Jennifer Falloway.
Whether running marathons or embarking on any new venture, Payne says, “I always say that sometimes the hardest part is just getting out the door. Just take the first step.”
Vicky Payne displays her medals, including the Seven Continents Club Finisher medal. Photo: Vicky Payne
