Alex Angert is a records manager for Guinness World Records, specializing in achievements having to do with mass participation -- that is, a lot of people doing something record-breaking together. He shares a monthly report with us, and here's April:
In the United States, holidays are synonymous with sports. Independence Day has baseball. Thanksgiving has football. And Patriots' Day has the Boston Marathon.
For those unfamiliar with Patriots' Day, it is the holiday remembering the Battles of Lexington and Concord, which were the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. Typically, the city of Boston is filled with excitement and pageantry to celebrate the occasion and marathon.
However, this year, Patriots' Day and the Boston Marathon, which is one of the six World Marathon Majors, hold extra meaning. This year’s race marks the one year anniversary of the tragic bombings at the finish line of the 2013 marathon. With great fortitude, the city of Boston has banded together in the last year under the mantra of "Boston Strong," and the race is back in full force for 2014.
To honor Patriots Day and today's running of the Boston Marathon, we decided to recognize some of our favourite race records for this month’s Mass Participation Monday.
MOST RUNNERS LINKED TO COMPLETE A MARATHON
73 runners
Record holder: CaBa’s CaBaNauTeN
Location:Würzburg, Germany
Running a marathon is tough enough, but imagine having to do it with 72 other people linked to you. Well, that is what a group of runners did at the iWelt Marathon in Germany in May 2012. Linked by a metal chain, the 73 runners finished the charity marathon that benefitted AWO Unterfranken in just under seven hours.
LARGEST THREE-LEGGED RACE
649 pairs
Record holder: The Isle of Man
Location: Douglas, Isle of Man
Good luck finding a place more suited to hold this record than the Isle of Man, whose flag consists of a Triskelion of three legs. The attempt was organized by Douglas Development Partnership with the assistance of Barclays Bank. All pairs, who were required to have their ankles securely bound together, were only allowed to run as hopping and jumping were both not permitted.
LARGEST SPACE HOPPER RACE
771 hoppers
Record holder: Yorkshire Cancer Research, Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity and Cavendish Cancer Care
Location: Sheffield, England, UK
Whilst our aforementioned three-legged race doesn’t allow hopping, this race embraces it. All equipped with their own space hopper, 771 participants bounced their way across the finish line at the Don Valley Grass Bowl in hopes of raising as much money as possible for charity. In the end, £50,000 ($83,986) was raised for the three charities as participants both young and old participated in the race.
LARGEST HIGH HEEL RACE
967 participants
Record holder: Fort Wayne Women’s Bureau
Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
Think walking in high heels is tough? Try running in them. At an event to raise funds to support counseling for victims of sexual assault in Fort Wayne, racers traded in their sneakers for stilettos for charity. What was even more impressive was the majority of the runners donning the high heels were men!
We don't expect many - if any - of the approximately 36,000 registered entrants in Boston to run in heels, but we certainly do wish all the best to those resilient runners and citizens looking to truly define #BostonStrong on this most cherished of regional days.
And for the latest on all things world record, visit Guinness World Records on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and our brand-new Instagram. Plus check out Guinness World Records on YouTube to subscribe for the latest record-breaking videos!
Related Articles
