Wacky horse
The first ever Beer Mile World Championships are taking place tomorrow (December 3) in Austin, Texas, and everyone's hoping for a world record race. To whet the appetite, we’ve dug out some other unconventional records from the less trodden corners of track and field.
Beer Mile
The current beer mile world record was set in April this year when James “The Beast” Nielsen posted a 4:57. Nielsen was the first to break the fabled five-minute mark and inspired the organisers of tomorrow’s event happening.
The women’s world record stands at 6:28.6, and was set by mother of six Chris Kimbrough in early November this year.
NB: Elizabeth Herndon set a new beer mile world record of 6.17.76 in Austin.
Egg and Spoon
Australian Phil Rorke - AKA the Egg Man – holds a trio of egg and spoon records: the egg and spoon mile, the double egg and spoon mile, and the egg and spoon 5k.
He had two cracks at the egg and spoon marathon world record this summer, only for his chances to be scrambled on both attempts when he dropped his egg. It meant Dale Lyons' record of 3hrs 47mins set at the 1990 London Marathon remains in tact.
Another Australian, Sally Pearson, Olympic 100m hurdles gold medal winner, broke the 100m egg and spoon world record in 2013.
Pantomime Horse Play
In 2012 brothers Bill and Tom Casserley ran the London Marathon dressed as a pantomime horse in 4hrs 49mins to set a new world record. “The heat was unbearable, the sun was out most of the day and Bill's neck was very sore,” Tom told reporters afterwards.
Not surprisingly, the 100m is more hotly contested. The current men's record is held by Australian pair Shane Crawford and Adrian Mott (12.045), and the women's by Samantha Kavanagh and Melissa Archer (18.13).
Moon Walk 100m
Ashiq Baluch set the moonwalk world record in 2010 with a thrilling time of 38 seconds. Unfortunately for Baluch, his record didn’t last long; later that year Luo Lantu beat it with a 32.06 set live on China’s longest-running entertainment TV show, Zheng Da Zong Yi.
The video below is worth watching just to see a moonwalking dog.
Doggy High Jump
Cinderella, a Holly Gray owned by Kate Long and Kathleen Conroy, set the high jump world record for dogs with a 172.7 cm (68 in), at the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge National Finals in Missouri in 2006.
How much bigger Cindy's leap could have been, had only she heard of Dick Fosbury, will remain one of the great athletics mysteries of our time.
High Heel Dash
Julia Plecher from Germany holds the record for the fastest 100m in high heels with a pacey 14.531 seconds. She had previously won a stiletto race in her hometown of Berlin, so her advice is well-worth heeding for any would-be record breakers:
“You need shoes which ideally are closed in the front because you run on the front part of the foot. You have to be careful not to slip out. I think sandals would not be too appropriate.”
The Tuna Toss
The World Tuna Tossing Tournament takes place every year in Port Lincoln in South Australia. Each year a new set of competitors attempt to beat the tuna toss world record, which stands at 37.23m and is held by Olympic hammer thrower Sean Carlin.
No tunas were harmed in the making of this video. Honest.