Finally coming to a halt on Tuesday — the last day of 2024 — Belgian ultra runner Hilde Dosogne felt she had done all to take the world record as the first woman to run a marathon every single day of the year.

Dosogne, weary but seemingly far from exhausted from the weight of relentless marathon running, emerged from the cold, grey light to cross the line as a throng of fellow runners celebrated an extraordinary feat.

“I’m glad it’s over,” she said after crossing the line on the last day, leaving the last crash of many behind her when she collided with a spectator in her final run.

On top of the reward for her perseverance in running at least 15,444 kilometers in a single year, the 55-year-old also raised some 60,000 euros ($62, 438) in funds for breast cancer research.

Now comes the filing of GPS data, photo and video evidence and independent witness reports she had to collect daily to meet the requirements of the Guinness World Records organization. If approved, the record should be officially hers in about three months.

She would join Hugo Farias, the Brazilian who holds the male record of 366 days, which he achieved in São Paulo, Brazil, Aug. 28, 2023.

In the female category, Dosogne would be in a league all her own, since the current record by Erchana Murray-Bartlett of Australia stands at 150 days since Jan. 16, 2023.

One thing is sure: she doesn’t want her feat to become a shining example of healthy living — more one of personal persistence, as she had to fight off the flu, COVID-19, a dozen-plus crashes, blisters and even bursitis. Overall, the brain took the toughest beating.

“The mental strain is harder than the physical. Of course, physically, everything has to be OK. Otherwise, you can’t run for four hours every day. But it was more mental to be there at the start-line every day,” she said.

Dosogne was able to do the majority of her marathons on a flat loop around a stretch of water, just outside the university town of Ghent, where a strong headwind could be her toughest competitor.

Even there, she said, she would not take any statistical risks and instead of the 42.195 kilometers (26.2 miles) a day, she made sure her run stood at 42.5 km — just for safe measure with the Guinness administrators.

Dosogne wishes she could have stretched her days the same way.

As a bio-engineer at a chemical firm, she starts especially early so she could squeeze in a marathon every afternoon. And because she could not run at top speed every single day, she stuck to an easy 10 kph (6.2 mph), which also allowed friends and witnesses to run along.

The only time when her daughter Lucie felt she might not make it was the day she crashed after 27 kilometers, had to be taken to the emergency ward with a dislocated finger, and spent far too much time there to be allowed to finish the marathon by the regulation. The solution? “She started from scratch again,” Lucie said.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Quarterback Cade Klubnik, who led Clemson’s surprise run to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship and College Football Playoff, will return for a fourth and final season with the Tigers rather than declare for the NFL draft.

Miami parted ways with defensive coordinator Lance Guidry, after the Hurricanes failed to make the College Football Playoff and allowed 42 points in each of their final two games of the season.

The Hurricanes had gone 50-0 in games since the start of the 2000 season where they scored at least 38 points and had at least 500 yards. But they went 0-2 in their last two games of this season when putting up those big offensive numbers — blowing a 21-0 lead and losing 42-38 at Syracuse to miss a trip to the Atlantic Coast Conference title game and a likely CFP berth, then losing 42-41 to Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Longtime coach Jack Hartman and Utah State star Wayne Estes, who was tragically killed while trying to provide help at the site of an auto accident after his final game, are among eight coaches and players who will be posthumously inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Mo.

The Hall of Fame revealed its latest class Tuesday. The date of the induction ceremony has not been announced.

The other members include Dave Meyers, who helped UCLA win the NCAA title in 1973 and ’75; John Rudometkin, the first USC player to score more than 1,000 points in two seasons; Duquesne’s Sihugo Green, the first overall pick in the 1956 NBA draft; Lennie Rosenbluth, who led North Carolina to a 32-0 record and then 1957 NCAA title; New Mexico State’s Sam Lacey, the fifth overall pick in the 1970 NBA draft; and Tom Stith of St. Bonaventure, who averaged 26.5 points for his career.

Hartman, who played football and basketball at Oklahoma State, is perhaps the most high-profile member of the class. He played quarterback in the Canadian Football League after college before turning his attention to coaching, first as an assistant at his alma mater and later at Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College and Southern Illinois.

It was at Kansas State where Hartman made his biggest splash. He followed Tex Winter and Cotton Fitzsimmons in leading the Wildcats to four Elite Eights during 16 seasons, finishing first or second in the Big Eight in 10 of those years.

Hartman retired in 1986 with a 589–279 record. He died in 1998 at the age of 73.

Estes was just 21 when he died on Feb. 8, 1965. The 6-foot-6 forward had just scored 48 points for Utah State against Denver in his final game, pushing him past 2,000 points for his career, when he stopped at the scene of a car accident near campus. Estes was crossing the street when he accidentally touched a downed power line, fatally electrocuting him.

Estes, who was the second-leading scorer in the nation behind Rick Barry that season, was posthumously given All-American honors by The Associated Press. The Aggies retired his No. 33 jersey and the school’s practice facility, which opened in 2013, is named the Wayne Estes Center in his honor.

WEST VIRGINIA 62, NO. 7 KANSAS 61: Javon Small hit the go-ahead free throw with 1.8 seconds remaining, and the Mountaineers (10-2) held on after blowing an 18-point second-half lead against the host Jayhawks (9-3) in a Big 12 opener for both teams. Eduardo Andre had 15 points and Small finished with 13 for the Mountaineers, who built a 38-20 lead despite missing two of their three leading scorers to injuries, only to watch Kansas use a 15-2 run to get back in the game.

NO. 1 TENNESSEE 67, NORFOLK STATE 52: Chaz Lanier scored 24 points to lead the host Volunteers (13-0) over the Spartans (9-7).

NO. 14 DUKE 88, VIRGINIA TECH 65: Cooper Flagg scored 24 points the host Blue Devils (11-2, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their its seventh straight game, beating the Hokies (5-8, 0-2).

NO. 8 MARQUETTE 78, PROVIDENCE 50: Kam Jones had 18 points and 10 assists to lead a balanced offense by the visiting Golden Eagles (12-2, 3-0 Big East). The Friars fell to 7-7 and 1-2.

NO. 10 KENTUCKY 88, BROWN 54: Andrew Carr scored all of his 14 points in the first half, Otega Oweh added 13 and the Wildcats (11-2) beat visiting Brown (7-5).

NO. 25 BAYLOR 81, UTAH 56: V.J. Edgecombe scored 19 points, three other Baylor players had 15 and the host Bears (9-3) led throughout against the Utes (8-4) in the Big 12 opener for both teams.