I've been on a quest to achieve random bucket list activities and goals. Some are substantial and will take time. Some involve trips to far off places (World events and cost prevents some of these goals, but that won't stop the wishing). One of my goals was to either personally break a world record or help break a record.
The opportunity came with Virtual Runners and their Most Users to Complete a 10K in 24 hours last September. I was late to the game, as the FB group was super active with posts spanning months and months. Word had it that over 100,000 were participating. That sounded amazing. But as time went on the number became false. Some registering with the free entry and then forgetting. Others double registering while ordering swag.
There was a lot of confusion in the group, contrasting information, in regards to what qualified as a valid entry submission proof. We had to have a tracking app accompany our run/walk, a screenshot showing date, time, and distance. Not all apps provide this information. It was a mess. I, with others, insisted a mass email sent to all participants clarifying the requirements so that their entry would be counted by Guinness.
On the day of the challenge I woke up and got on the treadmill, and with it being just 2 months after my surgery I was able to walk the 6.2 miles (I did 6.4 just in case). It took well over two hours, and was quite the challenge. The app I used didn't fail and my screenshot showed all required information.
In the end we accomplished the Guinness World Record. I received an email with this information: "Guinness World Records has now officially confirmed it. Together we broke the world record! Thanks to the help of so many runners. In total, there were about 40,000 successful participants. Due to the strict technical requirements, Guinness World Records confirmed 25,523!"
The thing is, I have no idea if I was included in the 25,523 confirmed entries. Rumor in the group had it that if you received the email, you qualified. This was never confirmed. And no list of names provided. So I participated, and hopefully my effort was counted.
In the end this experience was simply interesting. A few times I almost ordered the official Guinness participant certificate, just to have. Nearly completed the process twice, then deleted my shopping cart. Really, it all just seems like a brilliant monetary operation. Really, you can create the most random records and have a large group participate.
I got the medal. It's cool. I showed up and did my part. Made sure the entry had all the required information. Virtual Runners is doing it again next year, and once again it's confusing. They're going to have all these different distances, all to be run on the same day. And I fear the confusion and ill planning will continue. Keep the goal focused and simple. Don't complicate. Give detailed, good instruction.
In the FB group this achievement meant so much to many. The lack of communication of whose entries were accepted by Guinness discourage quite a few. The fact that it appears next year will be just as convoluted is why I won't do this again. Really, once is enough.
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