Courtesy of Ellen Hunter Gans
Minnesota native Ellen Hunter Gans has never considered herself a naturally gifted runner. What she does have, she says, is determination. That mindset carried the Twin Cities writer through more than 40 marathons, ultimately leading her to complete the Great World Race—seven marathons on seven continents in seven days—and inspiring her new book, “Seven Marathons. Seven Continents. One Week.” We spoke with Gans about her lifelong love of endurance sports, the stories behind her book, and the Minnesota roots that continue to shape her journey.
Gans is the first woman with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) to complete the Great World Race, though she is careful to emphasize that her experience with the condition is not universal. She says receiving the diagnosis brought validation more than transformation, helping explain years of chronic pain and medical issues. While managing hEDS requires physical therapy, strength training, braces, and careful recovery, Gans hopes discussing her diagnosis raises awareness of a condition that remains widely misunderstood and often takes years to diagnose, particularly in women. “As for why I do it,” she says, “someone pointed out to me that perhaps I chose to take on ridiculous athletic challenges to give my pain a reason or purpose.”
She traces her love of sports back to her family, where running, biking, and outdoor adventures were simply part of life. While she jokes that she’s “by far the least athletically talented” member of her family, she credits persistence with carrying her farther than natural ability ever could. Her first marathon came after watching her older brother and sister-in-law bicycle across the U.S. in 2003. “I was inspired to do something big,” Gans says. “I told everyone I was signing up for a marathon, most likely trying to steal the spotlight in classic, obnoxious little-sister fashion.” That ambitious decision eventually grew into more than 40 marathons, several ultramarathons, and the opportunity to participate in the Great World Race—an event that challenges runners to complete seven marathons on seven continents in just seven consecutive days.
Although Gans has worked as a professional writer since 2009, “Seven Marathons. Seven Continents. One Week” marks a more personal project. She says curiosity about the race initially motivated her to tell the story, but it was her fellow competitors who truly inspired the book. “I was easily the least interesting person on that plane,” she says. “There were incredible stories of survival, bravery, and world-changing accomplishments.” Rather than focusing solely on the physical challenge, she wanted the book to encourage readers to pursue ambitious goals of their own while weaving in humor and the remarkable stories of the runners she met along the way.
Gans says that although she has never been deeply involved in Minnesota’s organized running community, the state has shaped her journey in countless ways. Her first marathon was Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, and she set her personal record at the Twin Cities Marathon. She’s also logged countless training miles around the Chain of Lakes, Nine-Mile Creek Trail, the Superior Hiking Trail, and the Lake Wobegon Trail. “I may not be embedded in the Minnesota running community, but Minnesota is deeply embedded in my running,” she says. Today, even after running across seven continents, those familiar Minnesota routes remain among the places she knows best—proof that extraordinary adventures often begin close to home.
“Seven Marathons. Seven Continents. One Week” releases on July 28. For more information, visit sevenmarathonsbook.com and ellenrunstheworld.com.
