Canadian Smashes Two Joggling World Records in Maldives
Michal “The Joggler” Kapral of
Toronto runs first-ever 10km while juggling 4 objects, then destroys Guinness
World Record for most consecutive stairs climbed while juggling 3 objects
MALÉ, MALDIVES – Oct. 16, 2019 – Canadian Guinness
World Record holder Michal “The Joggler” Kapral of Toronto became the first
person to run a road race while simultaneously juggling 4 balls, setting a new world record (and Guinness World Record,
pending ratification) of 55 minutes, 48 seconds at the RunInAddu race on Oct. 5
in Addu, Maldives, the country’s southernmost atoll, along a scenic course
bordered by white sand beaches and azure Indian Ocean waters.
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| Crossing the finish for the 4-ball joggling world record of 55:48. |
“It was a dream destination race along a
beautiful paved road and a fast, flat course,” says Kapral. “I couldn’t think
of a better place to break a new joggling record. The 4-ball joggling pattern
took laser-focus to maintain at sub-1-hour 10K pace. It was almost 20 minutes
slower than my 3-ball joggling 10K Guinness World Record of 36:27, and took
every ounce of my endurance and concentration. I was near exhaustion at about
8km, but pushed on – and wow, was I glad to see all the smiling faces at the
finish line. It was totally worth the effort.”
Six days later, Kapral broke another world record in the
Maldives capital of Malé, this time a Guinness World Record for most
consecutive stairs climbed while juggling 3 objects. The event took place on
the central staircase in Sultan Park, the lush garden next to the 16th-century
former palace of the sultan of Maldives. Kapral ran up and down 2,544 stairs
(the single flight was 16 stairs) while juggling 3 beanbags without a drop,
climbing past the height of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and
nearly 1.5 times the number of stairs up the CN Tower in Toronto. Guinness
World Records rules required Kapral to run while juggling both up and down the
stairs without stopping or dropping a ball, and only the “up” counted toward the record.
Kapral climbed more than four times higher
than the previous world record of 600 stairs. He dropped a ball while turning
around at the top of the staircase after running and juggling up 159 flights
and after nearly 45 minutes. It’s interesting to note that the Maldives is the
world’s lowest country at an average elevation of about 1.5 metres. Maldives
tourism minister Ali Waheed attended the stair climb record event, along with
other tourism representatives.
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| Guinness World Record for consecutive stairs climbed while juggling |
Kapral set the two world records in the ]sport of joggling –
jogging while juggling – as part of a new campaign initiative by the Maldives Tourism Board to attract running and
sports tourists to the country. Both events were organized by Total Fitness
Group, and the RunInAddu also featured a marathon, half-marathon, 5K, and a
kids’ 2km run, which Kapral led along with wife Dianne and daughters Annika and
Lauryn. The events were sponsored by Heritance Aarah Maldives, Adaaran Maldives, Meeru Island Resort and Kaimoo
Maldives. Both record attempts were broadcast live nationally on Maldivian
public TV.
With the emergence of guesthouses and a wider
range of travel options, and several marathons and other running races taking place
across the country, as well as other sports events, Maldives hopes Kapral’s records will raise
awareness for the Maldives as an emerging running and sports destination for
travellers from Canada and the U.S. who are looking for new experiences on
their journeys. Just over 9,500 tourists from Canada visited Maldives in 2018,
a 6% increase over the previous year, and nearly 43,000 tourists from the U.S.
visited the country in 2018, up 9.5% from 2017.
Kapral currently holds the Guinness World
Record for the fastest marathon while juggling 3 objects in 2 hours, 50 minutes
and 12 seconds, along with several other joggling records. He is planning one
more Guinness World Record attempt this year, this time for fastest
half-marathon skipping without a rope, at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront
Marathon on Oct. 20. It will be his first non-joggling record since he broke
the record for fastest marathon pushing a baby in a stroller with daughter
Annika at the Toronto Waterfront event in 2004. For that record, Kapral is
raising funds in the charity challenge for Giant Steps Toronto for kids with
autism.
