A Record-Setting Race
This year’s Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon will see 20 crazy running world record attempts
Last October at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront half-marathon, Toronto runner Jennifer Wilson dnf’d on what was supposed to be a celebration of her 30th birthday. She had torn her hamstring black and blue, yet had idealistically thought she could race anyway. Nope. By kilometre 18, she was limping badly and her husband, who was running alongside her for support, reasoned her off the course. Six months of rehab later, she was back running. This year, she’s hoping to redeem herself on the stwm course – while setting a world record.
Not just any world record, but the world’s fastest half-marathon wearing a suit . “I live in Toronto, I wear business wear every day,” she explains of the choice. “And there are a bunch of men’s records in suits.” There aren’t, however, any for the women’s field. According to Guinness rules, she’ ll have to beat two hours. She feels she can hammer home in under 1:45.
Wilson’s goal is part of a campaign by the marathon to try to have 20 world record attempts at this year’s race. Normally, in order to win a record, Guinness requires you have to have provide ample evidence that you did it – this includes photographs at mile markers, witness testimonies, official documentation from the race; it’s kind of a pain – but at stwm an adjudicator from Guinness will be there ensuring that the world records are actually being set. This makes it much easier for participants vying for fastest marathon dressed as a monk, for instance, to prove themselves. Because the Toronto marathon course is f lat, it has historically been a destination for world record attempts. In 2004, Canadian Running’s very own columnist Michal Kapral was the first person to set a world record there, with the fastest marathon pushing a stroller (2:49:44). Since then, almost every year has seen a few attempts. (Kapral went back, for instance, for fastest marathon while juggling three objects.) This year, the marathon has some suggested records to attempt, but really punching “marathon” into the Guinness website captures the brilliant absurdity of world-record-breaking potential. You can race in costume – which you will have to wear the entire time, no disrobing allowed – as a postman, a doctor, a shoe, a fast food, a whoopee cushion, a fruit, a firefighter, a bottle, a musical instrument, in a nurse’s uniform, with a gas mask, as a nut, a witch, in football gear, in lacrosse kit, in motocross gear, as a monk, a mascot, a snowman, a landmark, a snowboarder, or a cheerleader. There are records for siblings racing together, family members from different generations racing together, juggling objects, and so forth. Imagine a three-ring circus stretched out over 42.2 or 21.1 kilometres and you’ll have a rough sense of the wacky running paradise proposed by the litany of these records. But what compels an otherwise earnest runner to don a zookeeper’s uniform and head for the start line? Guinness World Records’ PR manager for North America, Kristen Ott, explains that essentially the Guinness’s myriad record categories allows individuals an opportunity to better themselves. “People see it as an achievement. It’s like how some Olympians feel winning an Olympic medal. But [ with Guinness world records], anyone in the world can attempt a record. You don’t have to be trained in something very specific but you can have that stamp of being ‘ best in the world.’ “Really, it’s about personal achievement and the excitement that comes with setting a Guinness record.” As for Wilson, she hasn’t chosen the suit she’s going to wear yet. She’s waiting for summer’s edge to cool before she starts training in whatever outfit she choses anyway. Also, she’s anticipating funny looks and is grateful the record allows her to wear running shoes instead of office-appropriate footwear. More than anything, she’s looking to conquer the kilometres after unlucky 18 while chasing this challenge. “For me, it’s kind of a lark. It seemed like fun. You get a certificate. It’s not like I’m ever going to win a race for speed.”