DANVILLE, Va. – A southwest Virginia man is back home after running seven marathons on seven continents in seven days to raise money for a local cancer organization.
Steve Scott has become a local celebrity.
Recommended Videos
Displaying his medals on a table at the YMCA in Danville, people stopped to look at them or offered congratulations as they passed by.
His first marathon, which he ran in Antarctica, was the toughest.
“It was gale-force winds, anywhere from 25 to 30 below the whole time. At times, there was white-out conditions, so you couldn’t see. At one time, as I was trying to run against the wind, I fell, actually, in a 3-foot snowdrift," said Scott.
From there, he and his group of 36 World Marathon Challenge participants went to Australia.
“It was 50 degrees, light wind, flat. Great conditions. I actually ran really well there," Scott said.
The other five marathons were in South Africa, Brazil, Spain, Dubai and the United States.
“It’s not that you feel like giving up, it’s like you wish it was over. It was one step at a time. That’s what I told myself every time I got off the plane to get ready. I said, ‘Alright, Lord. This is one step at a time, one foot in front of another and we’ll just go with it," Scott said.
Those steps have turned into one big step forward for the Danville Pittsylvania Cancer Association.
For a little over a year while he trained, and while running his marathons, he encouraged people to donate to the association.
His mother, who passed away while he was training, and a local cancer survivor were his inspiration.
“People were very surprised that I was doing it for the local cancer association," said Scott.
The local cancer survivor who had been planning since Scott’s training began to run the last marathon with him wasn’t able to, but she ran a marathon a few weeks earlier.
“I’m real proud of her getting that done," Scott said.
As for what’s next for Scott?
“We’ll see. There are a couple of things myself and another person are talking about doing. I will say that, maybe in the next year and a half, I’m looking at maybe trying to break a world record," Scott said.