Previously held by Denis Mikhaylov, David Staley has recently broken the Guinness World Record (treadmill running) by running 81.62 miles. Running constantly for 12 hours, he went from 9:30am to 9:30pm at the University of Denver’s Ritchie.
For this record attempt he had practiced and received professional training, which he refers to as a genius decision.
He moved to Colorado from the East Coast, USA, had attempted a few races and had even won. He had been running 30 miles on average, maximum three days a week, before he decided to go for the record.
He said he never ran with a schedule, but only when he had an urge to run, though he did assess himself physically and mentally, for the final run. To see if he was ready for a record attempt, he had taken two mock runs, where he ran for five and seven hours.
Although he had to look at a white wall for twelve hours during his run, he said his focus didn’t let him get bored, and his friends were able to entertain him with activities.
His only distraction came by a cramp in his stomach after six hours of his run – he tackled it with a pain-cave workout, while on the treadmill. He even ate during the run: cheese burgers and potato chips.
He normally avoids processed foods, and during his run he only ate in the first half.
After his successful attempt, he did not face any issues – he went to work as normal and traveled as he usually does. He wishes to do such a record or anything similar again soon.
Musab Alam, Physiotherapist, Masnad Health Medical Clinic, Australia informed HTV,
“It is not possible for a normal person to run like this – though in history top athletes have been seen to do so. Their training, a running genetic predisposition, hydration, nutrition and motivation enables them to go this far.”
According to psychiatrists, extreme sports are more of a mental game. His specific case has been explained as certainly doable with help of mental training.
The man-breaks-record David advises people, who find running difficult, to start with spending more time outside rather than staying on their couches.