Photo: Todd Fraser/Canada Running Series.
For the eighth consecutive year, runners have the opportunity to set and have their Guinness World Records title attempt verified on the spot in Toronto.
Participants of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon and Half-Marathon can receive on-site verification with an official Guinness World Records adjudicator and have their names enter the record books. This year’s race date is Oct. 21. Toronto has been the site of numerous successful Guinness World Records title attempts in recent years including, perhaps most notably, the Fastest marathon while pushing a pram (male), set by Calum Neff in 2016 (he ran 2:31:21), a year in which six Guinness World Records were set.
Last year, four records were set including Fastest half-marathon dressed as a clown, Fastest half-marathon dressed as an awareness ribbon, Fastest half-marathon dressed as a cowboy and Fastest half-marathon dressed as a chef.
This year, some unique applications have been approved for record-setting purposes. Evan Latsky will be attempting perhaps the most Canadian-relevant record, in that he will be shooting for a Guinness World Records title for the Fastest half-marathon in an ice hockey kit. Though not mandatory, Latsky will run the entire 21.1K through Toronto with a hockey stick. He’s running in support of Right To Play, a global organization committed to improving the lives of children and youth affected by conflict, disease and poverty.
This year’s record-setting hopefuls will be among the thousands of runners who take on the IAAF Gold Label race, which begins on University Avenue near city hall and finishes adjacent to Nathan Phillips Square.
Photo: Tim Huebsch/Canada Running Series.
Blaine Penny, who already has (or has been involved in as part of a greater team) several Guinness World Records titles, will be running as a battery, to mimic people who suffer from mitochondrial disease and struggle to produce enough energy. His record attempt will be in both the Fastest half-marathon and marathon distances, in what will be a custom-designed costume. (The half-marathon record, he says, will be attempted on route.) MitoCanada has completed 10 Guinness World Records title attempts at the Scotiabank Calgary marathon since 2013 and have had great success raising awareness and funds, Penny says. In 2017, the team set a record for Most linked runners to complete a marathon and half-marathon.
Penny has a 14-year-old son (Evan) who suffered a severe brain injury 10 years ago as a result of mitochondrial disease. “Mitochondrial disease is a genetic disease affecting 1 in 4,000 people that affects our bodies ability to produce energy in the cells,” Penny says.
Watch his family’s incredible story below.
Right To Play and MitoCanada, a charity that provides support for families, awareness and funding for research for mitochondrial disease, are two of the close to 200 charities involved in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge.
Active Guinness World Records title applications
– Fastest half-marathon dressed in an ice hockey kit (male)
– Fastest half-marathon dressed as a tooth
– Fastest half-marathon dressed as an emoji (male)
– Fastest marathon with two runners handcuffed together (male)
– Fastest half-marathon dressed as a television character (female)
– Fastest marathon wearing a shalwar kameez (male)
– Fastest marathon dressed as a battery
– Fastest half-marathon dressed as a battery
– Fastest half-marathon dressed as a chef (male)
Bradley Vincent will be going for the Fastest half-marathon dressed as an emoji, specifically, as the pile of poop icon. “Ever since I was a kid, I have wanted to break a Guinness World Record,” he says. “Now that I am attempting one, I want to have fun with it. The poop emoji stands out to me because whenever people use it, it makes everyone smile. That is what I want to accomplish during my attempt for the half marathon record.”
Meanwhile, Pamela Bottos is attempting a world record for Fastest half-marathon dressed as a television character (female). She’ll be running as Lucille Ball (of I Love Lucy fame). “Lucy’s iconic red hair, blue and white polka dot dress, white apron and red lipstick is a symbol recognized world wide,” she says. “A woman whom everyone loved. My husband has always had a crush on this woman. Her sense of humour, her charming personality and natural beauty are easy to adore.”
Interested in attempting a Guinness World Records title at this year’s race? Please contact Jenna Pettinato-Mizera, Canada Running Series’ Manager of Communications, at jenna@canadarunningseries.com or visit our website: http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/guinness-world-records/
