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What a week for national holidays here in North America. In just a few days, we in the U.S. celebrate the Fourth of July. But first, today commemorates Canada Day, giving us a chance to share in the glory of our neighbours to the north.

Quick history lesson time!

Canada Day marks the anniversary of what was then called the British North America Act, which united the colonies of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia into one, unified Canada on July 1, 1867.

To celebrate in our own unique way, we plucked five of our favourite multiple record holders from the Great White North. Note that people like Wayne Gretzky or Justin Bieber were excluded from the list because, well, they get enough attention already, don't we think?

Which one of our holders is your favourite? Tell us in the comments below, eh!

RECORD HOLDER: Michal Kapral, Toronto

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For doing what?

  • Fastest marathon joggling three objects (held twice): 2 hr 50 min 12 sec
  • Fastest 10km joggling three objects: 36 min 27 sec
  • Fastest marathon pushing a pram (since broken): 2 hr 49 min 43 sec

Tell me more about this Canuck

Kapral, as you can tell, specializes in endurance running and juggling while doing so -- jogging + juggling = joggling. Interestingly, according to his personal blog, he also chewed gum the entire time he broke his most recent marathon record, and the Torontonian has even won a competitive marathon against "regular" runners while joggling.

RECORD HOLDER: Peter Czerwinski, Mississauga

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For doing what?

  • Fastest time to eat a raw onion: 43.53 sec
  • Fastest time to eat a 12-inch pizza: 41.31 sec
  • Most Ferrero Rocher chocolates eaten in a minute: 9
  • Most Jaffa Cakes eaten in one minute (held twice) : 17

Tell me more about this Canuck

Czerwinski, nicknamed "Furious Pete," obviously loves to eat. But his story runs much deeper. As detailed in his personal documentary, Czerwinski was hospitalized for anorexia at age 16 and has since grown into one of the best competitive eaters in the world.

RECORD HOLDER: Carolann Naugle, Truro (Nova Scotia)

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For doing what?

  • Largest wreath: 76.74 m (251 ft 9 in) diameter
  • Most wreaths made in 24 hours: 70

Tell me more about this Canuck

Naugle is a seasoned wreath maker and has actually entered multiple competitions for her talent. She has, in fact, won prizes in every competition she's ever entered. For her latest attempt (most wreaths made in 24 hours), she even gathered all of the balsam fir used by hand herself, then sold the wreaths to donate proceeds to a local children's charity. And, oh yeah, assembled her last one blindfolded.

RECORD HOLDER: Kevin Fast, Cobourg (Ontario)

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For doing what?

  • Most people supported on the shoulders (above): 10, weighing 680 kg (1,506 lb)
  • Heaviest vehicle pulled over 100 ft by a pair (with his son Jacob): 69,753.43 kg (153,780 lb) in 38.3 sec
  • Longest duration holding a 500 kg weight on the shoulders (held twice): 1 min 1.4 sec
  • Heaviest vehicle pulled with an arm wrestling move (held twice): 10,540 kg (23,236 lb)
  • Heaviest house pulled by an individual: 35.9 tonnes (79,145 lb)
  • Heaviest aircraft pulled by a man (pictured at top of page): 188.83 tonnes (416,299 lb)
  • Heaviest vehicle pulled over 100 ft (held six times): 57,243 kg (126,200 lb)

Tell me more about this Canuck

Can you tell this is one strong dude? Whether it's the Canadian bacon or something in the northern drinking water, the 50-year-old Fast has shown remarkable longevity in his strongman attempts, having set his first strength record all the way back in October of 1998. And if you happen to find yourself in Sunday service at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Cobourg anytime soon, don't be surprised to run into this hulking man -- he's the church's pastor.

RECORD HOLDER: Suresh Joachim, Mississauga

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For doing what?

  • A lot.

Tell me more about this Canuck

To list all the records Joachim holds would be to wear out the characters on our keyboard. Since his first successful record in 1996, Joachim has claimed 39 different world records and held a record multiple times on 8 occasions, resulting in 47 career Guinness World Records titles. The craziest part about Joachim's exploits, though, is the vastness and range of his attempts. He's done everything from the greatest distance run on a treadmill in 48 hours (386.41 km/240.11 miles) to the fastest feature film produced (11 days 23 hr 45 min from script to general release) to the most ushers for a groom (47 at his wedding to wife Christa).

So whether it's a pint of a Molson or a cup of Tim Horton's coffee in your hand, be sure to raise a glass and salute these and all of our other Canadian record breakers. Happy Canada Day!