A 27-year-old Polish ultra runner just made history on American soil — and he did it a full day ahead of schedule.
Tomasz Sobania, nicknamed the “Polish Forest Gump,” crossed the finish line in New York City’s Times Square on June 27, completing 50 marathons across all 50 US states in just 49 days.
The feat wasn’t just a personal triumph — it shattered a record that had stood for nearly two decades.
Here’s the full story of one of the most extraordinary athletic achievements of 2025.
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One Day Early, One Record Broken
Sobania’s original goal was straightforward but staggering: 50 marathons, 50 states, 50 days — timed to honor the 250th anniversary of American independence.
He didn’t just meet that goal. He blew past it entirely.
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By running two marathons in his final 24 hours — one through New Jersey and one through New York — Sobania wrapped the entire challenge a full day before his deadline.
He did it! We made history! Now it’s time to recover.
That celebratory post, shared on Sobania’s Instagram alongside footage of him crossing the finish line in Times Square, said everything words alone couldn’t capture.
The Record That Had Stood Since 2006
To understand just how significant this moment is, you have to go back nearly 20 years.
In 2006, legendary American ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes completed 50 marathons across 50 states in 50 days — a benchmark that seemed almost untouchable at the time.
Sobania just made it look beatable.
The young Pole didn’t just match Karnazes’ achievement — he rewrote it entirely, finishing the same monumental challenge an entire day faster and planting a new name at the top of the record books.
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From the Golden Gate Bridge to Times Square
The journey began on May 10, with Sobania setting off on a 42-kilometer run from San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
From that first step on the West Coast to the final stride in the heart of Manhattan, every single day brought a new state, a new course, and a new physical test.
Running a single marathon is a grueling accomplishment for most athletes. Sobania was doing it day after day, week after week, for nearly seven weeks straight — with almost no margin for rest, injury, or error.
The scale of it is almost impossible to comprehend.
The Team That Made It Possible
Sobania didn’t tackle this alone. A dedicated six-person crew traveled alongside him throughout the entire challenge.
That support team included a physiotherapist, camera operators, drivers, and a social media manager — each playing a critical role in keeping the operation moving and Sobania’s body functioning at an elite level day after day.
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Behind every record-breaking athlete is a team working just as hard behind the scenes.
Why Sobania Did It — And What It Really Means
This wasn’t just about breaking a record or testing personal limits. For Sobania, the mission carried a deeper meaning tied to national pride and historical legacy.
On his website, the runner described the challenge as an effort to “create a project of historic scale” — one designed to symbolically plant a Polish footprint in the story of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
It’s a bold, imaginative statement — using an athlete’s body as a vehicle for cultural expression across an entire continent.
And given the nickname “Polish Forest Gump,” the imagery practically writes itself: a lone figure running across America, driven by something bigger than sport.
What Comes Next for the Record-Breaker
For now, Sobania’s Instagram post made his immediate plans crystal clear — recovery is the priority.
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After logging more than 2,100 kilometers across 50 states in under seven weeks, that’s more than earned.
But if history is any indication, a man nicknamed after the most famous fictional runner in cinema history isn’t slowing down for long.
