An Interview with Megan Eckert on Her 6-Day World Report on the 2025 Six Days of France – iRunFar

When American Megan Eckert set a brand new ladies’s six-day world document on the Six Days of France on Could 4, 2025, she didn’t simply eek out a couple of extra miles than earlier document holder Camille Herron, she ran greater than 40 miles farther than any lady earlier than, setting a brand new normal of 603.155 miles (970.685 kilometers).

That is Eckert’s second world document after she set a brand new ladies’s yard extremely document on the Huge Canine’s Yard Extremely with a distance of 362 miles, or 87 yards (laps) in 2024. She’s a dominant pressure in multiday lap racing, with total wins on the 2024 Snowdrop Extremely 55 Hour, Saguaro Showdown Yard Extremely, and Six Days within the Dome. She talked about her journey into operating and racing and her first world document in an in-depth iRunFar profile earlier this yr.

Now, only a few months later, she’s a double world document holder. In a telephone interview 4 days after the occasion, Eckert talks about how she got here to join the Six Days of France, her private objectives for the race, her pacing and fueling technique, and a few of the highs and lows of the occasion.

You may learn extra about her run in our information article about her world document in addition to try our interview with Ivan Zaborsky who set a males’s six-day world document on the similar occasion.

[Editor’s Note: This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.]

iRunFar: Hello Megan, how are you?

Megan Eckert: I’m drained, after all. Days of journey are actually tough. That was my first journey over to Europe, so on the way in which again, it was exhausting. However yeah, apart from that, I’m good. I don’t really feel too poorly contemplating. Simply jetlagged.

iRunFar: Congratulations in your new world document. I really feel prefer it’s been a few months since we final talked, after you set your final world document at Huge’s [Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra]. How does it really feel to be a two-time world document holder?

Eckert: We’re solely what, 4 days post-race, and I don’t assume it’s actually sunk in but that I set the world document. It’s a fairly distinctive, wonderful expertise. I really feel honored. There will not be many individuals who get to set a world document and even get the chance to. Even simply to have that chance is unimaginable.

iRunFar: So, after we talked, I believe it was in December 2024, you have been speaking about doing the Snowdrop Extremely 55 Hour after which going again to Huge Canine’s’s Yard Extremely for probably one other crack at that world document. When did the six-day world championships come in your radar?

Eckert: My first six-day run was in June of final yr. I did Six Days within the Dome in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I ended up there as a result of I had met Joe Fejes at a race, and he informed me all about six-day races and mentioned, “I believe you is likely to be good at them.” And in order that type of caught behind my head. When registration got here up for Six Days within the Dome, I mentioned, Why not give it a shot? Go for six days. And I had a extremely good first expertise. I actually love the six-day format. I just like the challenges that encompass it, and the minute I obtained off the observe on the Dome, I used to be already considering, What’s my subsequent one going to be? And it could actually’t be a yr from now. I need to do one other one. I can’t bodily do one other one now, however I need to do one other one. And that’s how Six Days of France ended up being the occasion that I picked.

iRunFar: Did you select it as a result of it was the world championships?

Eckert: No. I selected it as a result of I had heard superb issues concerning the location and the course itself. It’s a really distinctive a part of France, type of tucked not fairly within the mountains but, however there’s a wonderful river that flows by way of the campground [where the race took place]. There’s a variety of assist at that race. It’s only a very nice location. It was extra, If I’m going to run for six days, it’d as properly be in a wonderful place.

iRunFar: Coming into the race, did you’re feeling totally recovered from the Snowdrop Extremely 55 Hour?

Eckert:  I did really feel totally recovered from Snowdrop. I had chosen to stroll my 55 hours at Snowdrop simply to have a reset. I didn’t must race that one. I believe it’s essential to have A races after which races that you simply simply go and goof off and have time. And so Snowdrop I made that my “have time, goof off, discuss to individuals, benefit from the expertise” and never race, and I believe that basically benefited me going into this race, the place I hadn’t had a bunch of races the place I pushed proper in a row going into this.

iRunFar: You took Six Days of France out quite a bit slower than the world document tempo. Did you have got the world document in thoughts once you went into this? And was your pacing intentional to take it out somewhat bit slower than what Camille Herron has carried out?

Eckert: Sure, most positively. I had the world document in thoughts going into this, and to be completely trustworthy, I had 600 miles going by way of my thoughts going into this. That was the final word aim, world document or not, I wished to get to 600. So going out gradual was intentional. I’m not a quick runner. I don’t have a observe background.  I don’t have a half-marathon background. I did two marathons after which dove into ultrarunning and path operating, so my background shouldn’t be velocity. I needed to play to my very own strengths, and pacing is a type of issues that I’m very, superb at. I really feel like I’m able to keep a slower tempo for an extended time period.

iRunFar: And what was the pacing plan for the six days, simply by way of sleep, taking breaks, and consuming?

Eckert: Sleep was about each 12 hours. It various relying on how fatigued I used to be on the time and what mileage I additionally wanted to go for the following block.

iRunFar: Did you have got a go-to snack that was good for the entire time?

Eckert: I imply, these items are “eat as a lot as you possibly can so you possibly can gasoline your physique to maintain going.” And, I’m a really gradual eater. So, my husband, who’s my crew chief, was simply, “Shove meals in your mouth, get going. You’ve obtained to go.” And I’m sitting there nibbling on rice desserts. Every thing I began with, I used to be capable of eat all through the race. I used to be very fortunate that I didn’t have to vary my diet. So, I had bowls of gummy bears. I had barbecue potato chips. I had pasta, eggs. And for all of those races, my turkey and pickle sandwiches that I used at Huge’s. I used them once more right here. It all the time works.

iRunFar: Had been you operating largely based mostly on really feel, or did you have got a set distance you wished to cowl each six hours? Was your crew telling you you have to go quicker, you have to go slower, or have been you simply operating?

Eckert: It was a mixture of each as a result of it’s such an extended time period and the climate situations various a lot. The primary day it poured down rain. There have been puddles on the course and so we have been having to go off the observe somewhat bit into the mud simply on the surface edge and are available again in as a result of the puddles have been three inches deep in spots. So on these days when it’s like that, it’s not price it to hit mileage. It’s simply persevering with to maneuver ahead. And the identical with the new afternoons. There have been afternoons that have been within the higher 70s Fahrenheit, the solar was totally beating down on us, and people mileages didn’t matter. After which there have been occasions the place situations have been good, and I picked it up, and I had a plan for these. So it’s a stability between taking part in the course, the situations, and what your physique is feeling all on the similar time.

iRunFar: Do you’re feeling such as you have been the one making selections, or did your crew mainly inform you what to do?

Eckert: Often, I’d exit for six to 12 hours, after which I’d come again and be like, “Hey, how did that one go?” And they might give me a thumbs up or thumbs down. However in these, I discover that I don’t need to push too onerous, and I do know what too onerous seems like for me since you need to go the entire 144 hours. So no matter I used to be in a position to try this felt snug bodily and emotionally was okay for that block.

iRunFar: And you then smashed the world document by 40-some-odd miles. Was there some extent, since you have been under world document tempo for lots of it, once you knew that you simply have been going to get the world document?

Eckert: I didn’t know till I had it. And the one motive I say that’s due to my expertise at Huge’s the place I went out on that night time lap, and I’m like, I could make all of it night time. After which rapidly, my calves seized up and I used to be hobbling half a mile in quarter-hour or one thing, so I do know these issues can occur so rapidly. They might occur half a mile earlier than and stop you from reaching your objectives. So, I didn’t know I had it till I really obtained there.

iRunFar: You have been by no means capable of chill out and cruise?

Eckert: I knew if I stayed relaxed then the aim was extra achievable than if I harassed over hitting it. I imagine in setting these mini objectives all through. So my PR was 526 miles in my earlier six-day effort, in order that was the massive one which hit that earlier aim. Then I used to be capable of knock off these little issues alongside the way in which, these little accomplishments that have been significant to me and possibly no one else cared, however they meant one thing to me.

iRunFar: Did you have got any specific highs and lows both bodily or mentally all through the six days? Moments you’ll all the time keep in mind or moments you hope to overlook without end?

Eckert: The warmth on the ultimate afternoon, it simply felt like any individual had turned the furnace up. As a result of the physique will get so drained, it has such a tough time regulating temperatures towards the top. It was onerous to push by way of that. Then, the primary night time after we went in for our first sleep, I wouldn’t name this a low, it was type of a type of issues the place I used to be like, No, this won’t go in keeping with plan.

They’ve us in these little cabins, and we’ve got all our clothes arrange and the meals arrange and whatnot. You go in, you sleep, you return out on target. This was our first time making an attempt to navigate the cabin state of affairs of get meals in you, go down for a bit, get some sleep, get your sneakers on, get again on the market. And my crew chief and I hadn’t practiced this, and we have been simply bumping into one another on this cabin making an attempt to get able to go down, or making an attempt to get able to exit, and saying, “We’re going to have to determine one thing higher as a result of we’re losing priceless time right here making an attempt to navigate this cabin.” Which really is type of humorous, how horrible that first sleep was. I imply, we actually have been shouldering one another. And the crew chief is my husband, so we will chuckle about it.

iRunFar: I keep in mind you telling me that once you did — I believe it was your first marathon in 2016 — that it rained and was depressing weatherwise, and also you completely beloved it. So when it began to rain on the final eight hours of this race, have been you excited for rain or have been you simply able to be carried out?

Eckert: I used to be very excited for the rain till I noticed I didn’t have sufficient clothes on, and I obtained very chilly and got here onto the porch. My temperature had plummeted, and I wanted to get dried off and alter garments and so forth. As soon as I obtained the clothes regulated, I didn’t thoughts the rain one bit.

iRunFar: I really like the way you excel beneath troublesome situations.

Eckert: It’s a part of the problem. I appreciated this one being open air as a result of there have been extra challenges, too, past simply operating for six days. There was no telling what the climate would throw at us or what we had. There have been these little issues right here and there, issues that we needed to navigate.

iRunFar: Thanks a lot for taking the time to speak. Your world document was big, and it was so thrilling to observe.

Eckert: Thanks a lot.