The final marathon in Sydney was on January 29.
The challenge stared in Antarctica with marathons in Puna Arenas, Chile, Miami, Madrid and Marrakech before Sydney, all within 168 hours.
Rotorua Daily Post sports reporter Stuart Whitaker caught up with Wardian while he was on a whistle stop visit back home for interviews and television appearances before heading back to the Southern Hemisphere for this weekend's Ultra.
Has what you have achieved sunk in and how do you feel now that the World Marathon Challenge record has been beaten - and by such a big margin? Have you done the WMC before?
I am so pumped! That was a huge goal for me and it went swimmingly well. I have not done the WMC before but hope to do it again.
How are you recovering from the challenge and having to be ready for the ultramarathon which will be less than two weeks after the Sydney marathon?
I actually feel amazing and just kept running so I ran every day (twice a day) last week and plan to take an easier week this week right before Tarawera.
How does running 100km in one go differ from the challenge of running seven lots of 42.2km in seven days?
I think running a 100km is very much about holding back a little at first and staying up on fluids and nutrition whereas running seven marathons in seven days is all about going super hard and seeing if you can recover for the next race. I am super excited to see how Tarawera goes and can't wait to throw down.
What made you decide to come back and do it again?
I have raced Tarawera three times before and I hope to keep racing it for as long as Paul, Tim and the team will have me. I love New Zealand and getting to race in Rotorua is incredible.
How do you think your previous experience of the Tarawera will help you this time?
I think knowing the course should help but the biggest advantage will be all the family and friends that will be out there crewing me. I can't begin to say how much love I get in New Zealand and I feel like it is my home away from home.
Have you set any goals for this year's event?
I always want to win, I think the competition this year is fierce but that is cool so yeah, I want to be up there and it would be awesome to get on the podium.
What motivates you to keep training and tacking such extreme events?
I love everything about pushing my body to the edges of what is possible. I like doing the work, I enjoy the travel, I relish the waking up early, committing to a goal and then attacking it with my entire being until I achieve it.
Saturday's Tarawera Ultramarathon features 102km, 87km and 62km solo distances, as well as a two or four person 87km relay.
There will be 1250 athletes on the start line for the ninth staging of the race, which has the most impressive elite athlete line-up to date including defending Tarawera Ultra champion and 2015 100km world champion, Jonas Buud from Sweden.
The Tarawera Ultramarathon has become a bucket list run for athletes across the world, with more than 50 per cent of the field from overseas, representing 45 countries.
Michael Wardian's achievements
1st World Marathon Challenge - record holder (2017)
7th Tarawera Ultramarathon 100k, NZ (2016)
6th Eco Trail Paris 50k, FR (2016)
2nd Cami de Cavalls 185km, ESP (2016)
4th San Diego 100 Miler, USA (2016)
1st The Great New York 100 Mile Running Exposition, USA (2016)
46th Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc 100 Mile, FR (2016)
4th JFK 50 Mile, USA (2016)
5th Tarawera Ultramarathon 100k, NZ (2015)
4th Miami Marathon, USA (2015)
