S

even marathons on seven conti-
nents in seven days. Let that sink 
in for a minute. 
Merrick Chernett, an 18-year-old 
University of Michigan freshman from 
Bloomfield Hills, accomplished this 
incredible feat and broke a world record, 
becoming the youngest person to com-
plete this multi-marathon race. 
Beginning on Nov. 14, Chernett 
and 59 other ultra-endurance athletes 
from around the globe participated in 
this unique annual event, appropri-
ately named the Great World Race, by 
running marathons in Wolf’s Fang, 
Antarctica; Cape Town, South Africa; 
Perth, Australia; Istanbul (one in Europe 
and another in Asia); Cartagena, South 
America; and Miami, North America. 
Chernett left Ann Arbor on Nov. 12, 
landing in South Africa at midnight 
the following day. He was supposed to 
have a day to recover before heading to 
Antarctica, but the start of the race was 
moved up due to bad weather, giving him 
just four hours before his next flight. 
“The idea of going to and running on 
seven continents; it’s insane to be able to 
say you did that,
” Chernett says. “It was 
draining, and you’re worried about your 
health. It could be stressful at times, but 
at the same time, it was such a cool expe-
rience, and that’s what I signed up for.
”

Chernett, an avid runner, a former 
high school tennis player, and previous 
participant in three ultra-endurance 
events called the Toughest Mudder, 
described the Great World Race as an 
incredible learning experience and the 
most challenging thing he’s ever done.
“I believe that when you do things that 
are so hard, you get outside of your com-
fort zone, and it makes you better. You 
maximize your potential, and you grow. I 
knew it would take discipline and deter-
mination to train and then do the race. 
I’ve never pushed myself so hard, never 
had to dig that deep mentally,
” he says.
Chernett used the race as an oppor-
tunity to raise money for Innovation: 
Africa. This organization uses solar and 
water technology to bring clean drinking 
water, electricity and internet access to 
African villages. He chose it because he 
believes access to these basic necessities 
can “transform communities, improve 
health, and create opportunities for 
growth and development.
”
Chernett learned about the Great 
World Race just last summer and started 
training immediately. Initially, he ran 
about 80 miles a week until September, 
when he increased his weekly distance to 
100 miles, making sure to run the equiv-
alent of a marathon on the weekends. At 
the peak of his training, he ran 20 miles a 

day for six straight days and then tapered 
the distance as the race got closer. 
“I’ve never had to be so focused and 
disciplined with my time,
” Chernett 
says. “I’m doing three business clubs at 
Michigan (including TAMID, a profes-
sional development business organization 
that connects students to Israel’s econ-
omy) and balancing that with getting 
good grades, maintaining a social life and 
training for this race. I’m also pledging a 
fraternity. It’s been extremely tough, espe-
cially working in my 100-mile week.
”
While most of his professors were 
understanding, Chernett still had to carve 
out time during the race for schoolwork. 
After finishing a marathon at 2:30 a.m., 
he spent the next three hours in the hotel 
lobby doing homework.
Leading up to the race, his parents, 
Stacy and Jorey Chernett, had their con-
cerns, particularly his mom. She even 
tried to talk him out of the race on the 
way to the airport. 
“I didn’t understand why he wanted 
to do this or how it was even possible. I 
think one marathon is very hard on the 
body and requires a lot of training,
” she 
says. “He’s a freshman in college. It’s his 
first semester. He’s in three business clubs 
and a fraternity, he cares about his grades, 
and it required extensive training for 
months.
” 

18-year-old from West Bloomfi
 eld 
runs seven marathons in seven days.

THE GREAT 
WORLD
WORLD
RACE
RACE

JENNIFER LOVY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

OUR COMMUNITY

20 | DECEMBER 12 • 2024 
J
N

Merrick Chernett captured 
footage from the marathons 
on a GoPro camera and plans 
to continue sharing what he 
recorded on his Instagram 
account, @Merrick_Chernett.

MERRICK CHERNETT

Merrick snapped this 
selfie in Antartica

Merrick and medals

Merrick running 
in the Cartagena 
marathon, the sixth 
of the seven races

THE GREAT WORLD RACE