Two Poles pushing human limits: one running marathons in nearly every country on Earth, the other summiting the world’s highest peaks; both pushing human endurance for personal strength.

What drives a person to test the limits of body and spirit? Wojtek Machnik and Magdalena Skawińska,both Polish-born adventurers have redefined what it means to explore the world and the inner frontiers of discipline and resilience.

Wojtek Machnik: Running the World, One Country at a Time

Wojtek Machnik is a man in motion: he’s visited 193 countries and ran 238 marathons in 181 of them.

After 12 years in corporate banking and insurance, he left it all behind in 2016 to create a company combining travel and running, aligned with his own life’s mission.

Wojtek founded a travel agency for marathon enthusiasts, became a dive instructor, and then, in 2018, launched his life’s defining challenge: the 249 Challenge, to complete a marathon in every country and territory on Earth.

From December 2018 to December 2019, he ran 66 marathons in 66 countries, setting a world record for the most marathons completed in different countries within one year.

When COVID-19 halted global races, Wojtek’s creativity continued despite confinement due to quarantine: he famously ran a marathon in flip-flops around his bed, completing 5,626 loops of a 7.5m circuit. This viral act of defiance inspired runners worldwide.

Later that year, Wotjek broke another world record for the shortest marathon loop — just 5 metres, requiring 8,440 laps and 13 hours of sheer determination.

By 2020, Wojtek had become the first Pole in history and only the 16th person in the world to complete marathons in 100 countries. His goals remain as ambitious as ever:

“I plan to reach 300 marathons in 200 countries by my 50th birthday, on June 20, 2027.”

Beyond his personal achievements, Wojtek has also brought marathons to nations that had none, including Syria, Guyana, and Suriname, creating platforms for unity, health, and peace through sport.

In 2022, in partnership with the Syrian Olympic Committee and Ministry of Tourism, he helped launch the Damascus International Marathon, the first major international sports event in Syria since the war. The following year, runners from 30 countries participated.

Next stops: Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Somalia as part of his planned Horn of Africa Marathon Challenge (2026).

“Running connects people beyond politics, borders, and beliefs,” Wojtek says. “It’s the simplest way to explore, and to understand, our shared world.”

Magdalena and her Mountains

If Wojtek runs across the world, Magdalena Skawińska climbs it.

Magdalena Skawińska’s father was deeply attached to the mountains and from as early as was possible, Magdalena and her mother joined him on these expeditions in Poland, getting up at 2am to hit the mountain tracks before any trails got ‘busy’ or, more notably, bad weather set in.

As a young child Magdalena didn’t always realise the power of this time together, bonding as a family, nor the power of extremely tough self discipline which was instilled.

Since then, Magdalena who, by the way has a demanding day-time job as a lawyer in Luxembourg, has summited several of the worlds highest peak:

Mont Blanc (4,808 m)
Kilimanjaro (5,895 m)
Elbrus (5,642 m)
Aconcagua (6,962 m)
Kazbek (5,047 m)
Mera Peak (6,476 m) – her first Himalayan 6,000er
Lenin Peak (7,134 m) – her first 7,000m summit, conquered in 2024

For Magdalena, mountaineering is more than sport — it’s a spiritual and philosophical act of empowerment.

She has travelled to Yemen, Syria, and Armenia, combining her expeditions with photography and cultural immersion, using her lens to capture both landscapes and the human stories within them.
“Climbing and travelling to unconventional destinations is about reclaiming your own individuality and quiet courage,” she explains. “It’s about defying expectations, especially as a woman, and believing deeply in your own strength, perseverance, and dreams.”

Her story embodies balance between ambition and courage plus reflection and wonder.