Alumni Spotlight: Paul Box ’02 Takes on the World Marathon Challenge

Today marks the start of the World Marathon Challenge, where HSU Alumni, Paul Box, will be running 7 marathons, on 7 continents, in 7 days. With less than 200 people to ever finish the challenge, Paul has been preparing for an adventure of a lifetime. 

The 2023 World Marathon Challenge map. The race begins in Antarctica and ends in North America.

The race will begin in Antarctica and conclude in our home country near Miami, Florida, where Paul’s family will be waiting for him at the finish line. Overall, runners will partake in 168 hours of running and complete a 295 km distance. This year, the challenge is hosting about 50 runners from around the world, giving Paul a new community across the globe. The runners will fly by a private plane to each continent. As they land, the race will begin, and once the last runner wraps up each marathon, the group will load up on the plane and fly out to the next continent. For rest, runners will have access to trainers and massage therapists on the plane. After talking with Paul, he found out that he had previously met one of the runners while competing in the Boston Marathon.

Paul attended HSU from the years of 1998 to 2002. During his four years, he double majored in speech and history and competed on the HSU tennis team. It wasn’t until after he graduated that Paul picked up running. Once he moved to another state and lost his tennis community, he wanted to find a sport he could do on his own, running. In April 2010, Paul dove into the sport by participating in the Oklahoma City Marathon. While many feel exhausted after crossing that finish line, Paul wanted more. About four years ago, he ran in an Ultramarathon and strived to move into his next feat, the World Marathon Challenge! 

The World Marathon Challenge is a dream for most avid runners, and after receiving a letter of acceptance, Paul knew it was his turn to run his dream race. Of the seven continents, Paul has already visited five, making Asia and Antarctica the places he is most excited to explore. The race begins today,  January 31, and ends on February 6. To track their progress, tune into the World Marathon Challenge Facebook and Instagram page, or follow Paul on his personal social media for live documentation. Instagram: @paul.box Facebook: Paul Box

“Life is an adventure, take advantage of the everyday opportunities,” Paul expressed. “God made our bodies in amazing ways. Push it to see what He can do beyond your expectations.” As advice to the HSU family, specifically students, he hopes to inspire you to use your passions to glorify God. During his running journey, he has had the opportunity to run with people who do not know Christ and has been able to use running as a missionary to spread love. 

Join us in sending prayers toward Paul and all of the other runners as they take on the World Marathon Challenge. Good luck Paul, we can’t wait to watch you cross that finish line!