World's Best 10K Joggling Update

I fell well short of the joggling record at the World's Best 10K, finishing in 39:17, but the good news is that the race was incredible and I joggled it without a drop. Puerto Rico's world-class, IAAF Gold Label event is truly top-tier.

We're also here on a mini-vacation, staying at the San Juan Marriott, a resort hotel right on a gorgeous strip of beach. Not too many Canadians vacation in Puerto Rico, but I think they should. It's full of characater -- and there's a party atmosphere everywhere you go.

Vivian Cheruiyot won the women's race in 31:12 and fellow Kenyan Sammy Kitawara ran an incredible 27:26 to take the men's title. Considering it was hot and a bit windy, these times are surreal.

Joggling the World's Best 10K

Next weekend, I'm off to San Juan, Puerto Rico to joggle the World's Best 10K. The race offers a $100,000 bonus for a new world record. I'll be trying to break my 10K joggling world record of 36:27, and can expect a bonus of, hmm, maybe a handshake from the volunteer working the finish line?

Joggling on MTV

I found this link to the MTV Live Action News story about joggling. People keep recognizing me on the street from this, so I think it's getting far too much airplay.

Cay Compass Joggling Report

Here's a report frm the Caymanian Compass on my half-marathon joggle at the Cayman Islands Marathon. (Photo: Shurna Robbins, CayCompass)

Cayman Islands Marathon

Last week, I was probably the first-ever person to joggle on the Cayman Islands. I joggled the half-marathon on Sunday, finishing in third place overall with a time of 1:27. I was originally planning to do the full marathon, but changed my mind at the last minute. The big challenge for the half was that it started at 5 a.m., which meant I was juggling the whole thing in the dark -- and some section were very dark. I dropped about 15 times. It was about 26 C on the course, plus humidity, which was a shock to my system. It was snowing in Toronto when I left.

The Cayman Islands Marathon is an excellent running tourism destination. The organizers work really hard to put on a quality event, and generally treat the runners like gold. Plus, once you're finished your race, there are so many things do to on the island of Grand Cayman. My personal trip highlight swimming with rays at Stingray City, a sandbank off the north end of the island, where friendly stingrays nuzzle up to snorkellers. Cayman looks just like it does on the postcards -- stunning.

5K Joggling Record Attempt

Here's a roundup from SNAP magazine of the recent 5K joggling record attempt. Those look a lot like Adrienne Stewart's photos. Looking at that report makes me want to try for that record again. This spring ... attempt #2.

Danny Kassap Fund Update

Here's some good news on the Danny Kassap front. The donation site www.dannykassapfund.com has temporarily shut down the donation link to avoid potentially raising too much money.

Here's the lastest update from the site:

The response to this campaign has far, far exceeded our hopes. We've received donations from Newfoundland to British Columbia, and even from the United States - the generosity of the running community has been truly humbling. We've also received more potential good news: It appears Danny may be eligible for a significantly higher payment from OHIP than initially thought; and a charity in Ottawa may be willing to fund one specific part of Danny's treatment (a portable defibrillator vest which he was required to wear before being allowed to fly), which cost just over $3,000 to rent. Neither of these possible sources of funding are confirmed, and it may take several months before we find out if they will actually happen. However, if we add that tentative funding to the money we've received so far, along with other pledges we've received and cheques that we expect will continue arriving next week, we're starting to get close to the minimum goal of $18,000 (a little over 12,000 euros). While it's almost certain that we'll need to raise a little more money later, we're going to TURN OFF THE ONLINE DONATION FEATURE TEMPORARILY, just to make sure we don't run into the "problem" of raising more than we need.

Needless to say, Danny has been overwhelmed by the response, and by the messages of support he has received. If you have any questions, please let us know at dannykassapfund@gmail.com.