To honor the life of his close friend Devin Waring, Nick Revelas and The Revelas Family Foundation from Buffalo, New York decided to organize an attempt for the world’s longest marathon playing basketball.
With a record attempt on the horizon, Nick was in pursuit to raise money and awareness for mental health organizations after his friend Devin took his own life in 2017.
Nick is extremely passionate about breaking the “stigma” that shadows mental health issues and therefore wanted to support the cause in a unique way.
To Nick, this record-breaking game was much bigger than just setting a record, it was about making an impact.
As a lover of basketball, Nick had been used to organizing annual neighborhood games over the past several years and today, he uses that same idea to honor his best friend.
“It was kind of a fun way for our neighbors to get together in the driveway,” Nick explained.
“And then, over the years, it's kind of become this massive fundraiser, not just to raise money for mental health, but also awareness."
Although Nick and the participants were optimistic in their approach, breaking this record would be no easy feat.
Exhaustion and pain had to be ignored, while passion and dedication to finish was of the utmost importance.
However, these players were determined to cement their achievement in the record books and honor Devin.
The record attempt took place at the Nardin Academy's basketball court in Buffalo, New York with the attempt beginning on 6 August and concluding on 11 August after playing for a total of 120 hours and 2 minutes (roughly 5 days).
The final score resulted in a mind boggling 10,671 to 10,720 points.
Four years after Devin’s passing, The Revelas Family Foundation successfully broke the Guinness World Records title for the longest marathon playing basketball by a solid 53 seconds.
On top of breaking an incredible record, the foundation was able to raise more than $60,000 for mental health organizations in the New York area.
Participants who took place in the heartwarming event ranged from high school to college students from the surrounding region of Buffalo, NY.
Over the course of this record-breaking journey, Nick, the players, and the Revelas Family Foundation have proven themselves to be serious about making a positive difference.
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