World runner Marie Leautey stops at Goulburn during final stretch of journey

Now the seventh person to have 'run around the world', Marie said no special diet fuelled her 700 marathons, but a schooner at the end of each day was a must.

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Two and a half years ago Marie embarked on a journey to cross four continents and pass through 23 countries on foot, with Goulburn included as a stop-off.

On Tuesday (August 30) she arrived in Sydney having run more than 28,000km and became an official 'world runner', as well as the fastest woman to run around the world and to cross four continents.

However, it was not reaching the finish line that Marie looked forward to, it was all about the journey.

"It never was about the running, it was always about travelling the world," Marie said.

"I wanted a way of doing it slowly, where you can see, you can smell, you can taste the food, you have a sensory experience of the world."

Previously, Marie worked as a chief financial officer in Singapore and had also run a business in Greece organising sporting events. In total, Marie had lived and worked in five different countries and speaks four languages but she said nothing compared to travelling the world on foot.

Marie spent two years preparing for the run focusing on the physical aspect, the logistics of the trip and the financial aspect.

"At some point, you have to say 'I'm not ready but I am ready'," she said.

Three months into the journey, Marie literally ran into the first wave of COVID-19 lockdowns. She had been crossing Europe when the continent plunged into strict lockdowns and was grounded in Paris for three months.

"Of course your body is used to running a marathon a day and suddenly you weren't allowed to go outside of your house for more than one hour a day, or travel more than 1km from your house, and I thought this is not going to work," she said.

Marie decided to volunteer with a charity that was distributing meals to the homeless in Paris and gained a special exception to move around.

"I was running 20 to 40km every day and there was not one car in Paris, I was running alone along the Champs-Élysées, it was unheard of," she said.

"It was really great because I could maintain my shape and I was also doing something useful."

Charity-minded, Marie has also promised to donate $1 for each km to Women for Women International.

As the world began to reopen, Marie said her route adjusted, but her daily 40km did not.

"My map of Europe is a total mess but at the same time it was a blessing because I got to see so many countries that I had not planned to see," she said.

After crossing Europe, North America and South America, Marie finally made it into Australia having had to wait for the border to reopen. Ironically, it wasn't until she passed through Melbourne that COVID-19 caught her.

"When I left Melbourne I had a day that was really rough on the road, I was terribly tired, and then I tested positive," she said.

However, not even a bout of COVID-19 could slow down the 45-year-old world runner.

"I was fine, so I guess the virus couldn't handle a marathon a day."

For three-quarters of the journey, Marie travelled completely alone pushing her 30kg of possessions in a stroller.

However, when she reached the Andes in South America she accepted help and had a friend join her with a campervan to transport her possessions while she ran.

Despite running six days a week, Marie said she had met a lot of people, with social media and old friends helping to spread the news of her journey.

In Greece in particular, Marie said she was joined by other runners every day.

"Sometimes they would be waiting for me at the door of my hotel," she said.

"You don't meet people everywhere but sometimes I'd just sit in a cafe and look around and you get a sense of the place."

Marie said Australia had been a highlight of the run and particularly liked Melbourne and crossing the Nullarbor Plains.

"I thought it would be dreadful, but it was not, it was beautiful. There was vegetation and animal life, I saw whales, it was a magical experience."

Marie recalled another magical experience on the border of Chile and Argentina. After running up a road with 82 switchbacks she arrived at the border.

"I was there at 4000m [above sea level] with the big statue of Christ the Redeemer of the Andes and you get goosebumps," she said.

"I think it was the first time that I got really emotional to the point where I even shed a tear.

"Thinking about where I was, it was mind-blowing, it's been magical."

Marie said her worldview had completely changed since witnessing the everyday life and circumstances of so many different people.

"You understand things from other people's point of view," she said.

Not once deterred by bad weather or difficult moments, Marie said the world run was the best thing she had done in her life.

"When you run, your mind is free, you see the trees and hear the birds and it's an amazing feeling of lightness," she said.

"This journey gives an incredible intensity to every single day.

"It's almost like a drug and now I'm gonna have to get off that drug."

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