Run club: American DJ runs marathon at midnight while mixing tunes for Miami passersby

While the streets of Miami, Florida, USA were swarming with people on the hunt for some late-night food and entertainment this month, one determined DJ was cutting a path among them – pushing his mixing table around atop a rigged-up cart on wheels.

For eight straight hours, even as the sunset faded into a black night sky, Eddy Palermo (USA) traversed the city like a modern-day Pied Piper – blasting house music and club remixes, and engaging with an energetic crowd of fellow-racers and random pedestrians alike. 

Yet the music wasn’t stopping, and neither was he… because waiting at the finish line was a Guinness World Records title.

Last 9 August, Eddy attempted the record for the greatest distance run whilst DJ-ing in 8 hours (male), a unique challenge that combined his two passions of running and live mixing. 

Filmed on a continuous livestream, and accompanied by Guinness World Records Adjudicator Susana Reyes, he raced an unprecedented 29.01 mi (46.70 km) through the Miami Underline between the hours of 6:50 p.m. to 2:50 a.m., creating new tunes the entire way to claim the title.

“The idea came about when I saw videos online of people running 5Ks while DJ-ing, and I said to myself, ‘Why not run 50K?’” said Eddy to GWR.

“This is a real challenge for me because just running 50K without DJ-ing is difficult – and just DJ-ing for seven hours without running is difficult. Doing both at the same time will definitely push me to a new limit.”

Read more stories about record-breaking runners in our dedicated Sports and Fitness section!

Eddy was born in Miami, and he developed a passion for electronic music as a teenager, which eventually led to a career in event management and entrepreneurship. Meanwhile, in his free time, he loves to compete in endurance sports, having completed seven Ironman triathlons and seven marathons between 2020 and 2025.

The idea for this challenge was therefore a fitting combination of his two greatest interests – and after some planning, the “BPMATHON”, as he calls it, was born.

Beyond the athletic achievement, the BPMATHON was also rooted in a strong charitable mission. In an effort to turn the publicity into public good, Eddy fundraised for the Friends of the Underline, supporting their mission to improve public spaces and encourage outdoor physical activity in Miami. 

The 10 mi (16 km) park and trail is partly where Eddy completed his attempt, and he wanted to give back to the place that participated in his record-breaking accomplishment. 

That said, it can’t be overstated how difficult this challenge was to arrange and endure. 

On the day of the event, the Florida weather was extremely hot and humid, and despite the enjoyment Eddy felt from the public’s reactions it was still hard to push through until the finish line.

“That was a wild ride. That was the longest DJ set I’ve ever played, and the second-longest run of my life,” he said to DJMag after the attempt. “Doing both at the same time is hard to describe. Not to mention this was peak Miami summer heat, and I pushed a 70 lb (32 kg) cart the whole time.

He continued with: “Sometimes I was deep in the pain cave and would go, ‘Oh no... I have to DJ right now,’ as the song was ending,” before adding that, “The most special part of BPMATHON was how many people came out to run and/or support. The energy in the air was incredible.”

And it was his supporters that were able to inspire him to push through, even as his strength faded.

“Eddy kept us all nodding our heads for exactly eight hours!” said the Adjudicator, Susana. “His focus and stamina were unreal. Tracking this record was an endurance challenge for the whole crew – some were running alongside him, while I supervised from a golf cart – but between the killer music and his amazing support team, the energy never dropped.”

And as he ripped through the finish line in the early Sunday hours of 9 August, he was met with a jubilant group of onlookers – each with huge grins and giant neon signs – who were ready to share in the celebration with the new world record holder. 

Susana was delighted to hand him his official Guinness World Records certificate, and congratulated him for his “truly epic physical and technical achievement.”

While giving thanks to everyone that came out to celebrate him, Eddy gave a shout-out to all his loved ones, as well as the BPMATHON’s official sponsors including AlphaTheta, Orbit Baby, StrollRunner, Buzz Bomb, Coco Goods, and Buoy.

And as he held his son, he looked absolutely joyful to share this moment with those who matter the most.

So congratulations, Eddy, for this incredible athletic and musical achievement – you are Officially Amazing!