Irene Sewell
The seventh annual 7 Bridges Marathon is a few weeks away, and Chattanooga local, Irene Sewell, has been training to run with a mission of setting the Guinness Book of World Records for running in high heels.
“I have to be faster than 7 hours and 30 minutes to obtain the record, so that's my goal! My last marathon, the Chattanooga marathon was 4:45,” said Ms. Sewell.
Ms. Sewell is not new to competitive running, as she has completed several marathons, half marathons, and three Ironman’s in Chattanooga. In 2016, she ran the Desmond Doss Memorial 4 Bridges Half Marathon in costume- a slice of pepperoni pizza, and is always looking to have fun.
While training for the upcoming marathon, Ms. Sewell has not run in heels that often, as she wants to protect her feet from injury before, but she did recently run in the Cameron Bean Memorial 5K & Magnum Mile.
"While participating in the Cam Run 5k, I was lucky enough to win a raffle spot to run the Magnum Mile with some of the fastest runners in the Chattanooga and surrounding areas,” said Ms. Sewell. “ I knew I could never keep up with them so I decided to throw on my heels and run the mile as a training run! It was GREAT having people cheering me on which gave me extra encouragement to push through the pain. Ultimately, I'm really looking forward to experiencing the beautiful 7 Bridges course and obtaining the record- if everything goes well!"
In addition to Ms. Sewell’s attempt at the world record, the seventh annual event will include an appearance by Desmond Doss, Jr., and special showings of the documentary “The Race That Eats Its Young” about the infamous Barkley Marathons with live Q&A sessions with race director Lazarus.
For a schedule of events visit http://sevenbridgesmarathon.com/
To register, visit: https://7bridgesmarathon.itsyourrace.com/register/