First to Complete BTU Global Race Series in One Year | Ultra-Marathon Record
Ioana Barbu completed an unprecedented feat of endurance in 2025, becoming the first person to finish the Beyond the Ultimate (BTU) Global Race Series – and all six of BTU’s extreme ultra-marathons – in a single calendar year.
The BTU Global Race Series comprises four of the world’s most challenging ultra-marathons, held in the Arctic, jungle, mountains, and desert. Barbu ran a total of 940 kilometers (584 miles) across these four races. She then extended her achievement by completing BTU’s two additional legendary ultras: the For Rangers Ultra in Kenya and the Highland Ultra in Scotland, bringing her total distance covered to over 1,295km (800 miles).
Barbu’s journey was marked by extreme conditions and unexpected challenges. During a 200km race through the Tian Shan mountains in Kyrgyzstan, a sudden storm brought hail and plummeting temperatures, dropping from 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) to between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius (41 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit) within minutes. High winds obscured the course markings, forcing many competitors to withdraw due to hypothermia. Adding to the difficulty, Barbu was bitten by a wild dog while continuing the race, sustaining a leg wound.
“I’m just running along. First thing I first I knew of this dog, it had his teeth in me,” Barbu told CNN. Despite the pain and the risk of rabies, she chose to continue the race, relying on her GPS tracker to alert medics and knowing a vaccination would only be available after she descended the mountain. “I keep joking that the dog did me a favor because with adrenaline kicking in, I did not mess about on this uphill — it got done quick,” she recalled.
The races themselves presented unique obstacles. The Ice Ultra in Sweden, held in the Arctic, saw temperatures plummet to -40C. The Jungle Ultra in the Amazon rainforest brought heat of 36C and humidity levels between 70-100%. The Mountain Ultra in the Tian Shan mountains took place at altitudes exceeding 4000m. The For Rangers Ultra in Kenya and the Desert Ultra in the Namib Desert both presented extreme heat conditions, with temperatures reaching 53C in Namibia.
Barbu’s accomplishments include winning the Ice Ultra in February 2025 and the Highland Ultra in April 2025. She placed third in both the Jungle Ultra in June 2025 and the For Rangers Ultra in September 2025, and finished fourth in the Mountain Ultra in July 2025.
The athlete’s achievement has been recognized as a historic first, solidifying her place in the world of ultra-marathon running. She carried all necessary supplies on her back throughout each multi-stage race, demonstrating a high degree of self-sufficiency.