In a just released ebook, the famous Guiness World Records have brought a load of totally insane sporting records to our attention.
As you know, this is yet again an Olympic year, and hordes of deadly serious athletes all over the world are working away at ensuring that they will be the fastest, best and generally most amazing athletes in their chosen sports. Bu this it to forget that army of total idiots who for one reason or another have chosen to beat the world record at such important sports as underwater cycling, four legged running, hurdle jumping while wearing frog feet and such well known and much loved sports.
Here is a short video that tells you more of what is to be found in this fun ebook:
Well, the good folk at the Guiness Book of World Records have decided to change this situation, and have just launched their first ebook which is dedicated to this band of – until now – unsung sporting heroes.
This book which resounds with the very English name of Totally Bonkers Sporting Champions tells us of the remarkable achievements of the worlds most insane and dedicated to idiocy sportsmen and women.
People such as Natalie Bent, from Maidstone in Kent, has the record for the World Bog Snorkeling Triathlon or ‘Highest Shallow Dive’ champion Darren Taylor who broke his own record in November 2011, entering 30cm of water from a height of 11.20m. (in passing, he had this to say of his achievement: “Yes, it hurts, but the pain lasts for a minute, while the glory lasts a lifetime!”, or the amazing fourleg runner Kenichi Ito from Japan who ran the ‘Fastest 100m Running on All Fours’ (18.58 seconds) and my personal favourite, the wonderous New Zealand’s Veronica Torr, who recorded the ‘Fastest 100 Metre Hurdles Wearing Swim Fins’ (18.52 seconds).
All of these good people, and many others are all celebrated properly in this superb ebook which all true lovers of sport should have in their ereader this year.
Where to get it:
Well it is available in versions for the iPad, the Kindle and the Kobo.
Price: All of this wonderful stuff will cost you all of 1.99 British Pounds.
Share with us:
Do you share my love of the more eccentric members of our species? If so, and if you know of any other lunatic sporting achievements, do share them with us here please.
July 7th, 2012 at 3:55 pm
When I was a kid I sailed with my mother and father on a lot of cargo ships and tankers.(He was 1st mate.) From 5 years old til I was 14. Anyhow on a BP tanker called British Holly I flew a kite tied to the aft rail from Mina-al Ahmadi in Kuwait to Suez (about 6000k) I contacted Guiness and told them about it, also enclosing a guarantee from the captain that it was true. Sadly they said it wasn’t verifiable.
Sad story of my life
Cool story Bro
July 8th, 2012 at 6:33 am
@ Keri,
That is such a sad story…. I really feel for you there. What a wonderful thing to have done though, keeping a kite aloft for 6000 K is an achievement that you should be proud of, and what a lack of sympathy and imagination on the part of the Guinness people not to accept your Captain’s letter too.
Sounds an interesting childhood too. I went to Australia in 1947 and then to England some years later, then to Singapore and then back to the UK by ship, and thus have a bit of an idea of what it must have been like for you as a kid, traveling around the world like that. A good way to get around, wasn’t it? So much better in every way than what we endure now in flying around the place.
July 8th, 2012 at 7:28 am
Only on cargo/tramps/tankers. No passenger ships.
Up at 6am. Help galley-boy peel spuds and carrots. 8am. Breakfast. 8.20am. Help pantry-boy clean plates from officers saloon. Lessons til noon. Lunch. Help pantry boy again. Lessons til 4. (tea and a bikkie at 3pm) Dinner at 5pm. Help pantry-boy AGAIN at 5.30. then free-time. Peeling spuds in Winter North Atlantic is cool on cargo-ships as they have no stabilizers (heh)
The phrase ‘Chatty but happy’ calls to mind the state of my ships.
My younger sister came with us when she was 5, but was so sea-sick and scared all the time that mum took her home to Kiwi from Wilmington NC and then rejoined us in Port Swettenham Malaya. Now sister is mad that she missed out
July 8th, 2012 at 7:36 am
Oh, and I was paid the princely sum of 1 shilling per month as a supernumerary. We couldn’t sign on as passengers as then ships would have had to carry a doctor. Or crew, as then we would have had to get the seaman’s rate of pay. Aw well, I had fun while it lasted.
July 11th, 2012 at 5:52 am
Keri, very different to my childhood experiences on ships.. Only went on one cargo ship (Singapore to England – thought he cargo was sold on the trip so we ended up in Hamburg instead of London). Otherwise it was an endless party for kids like me, running all over the ships and having a good time. No work for us!!!!
In fact I learned to swim in the middle of the Pacific on one of them – in the swimming pool I hasten to add.
Loved the crossing of the equator ceremonies too, even if it was a bit scary for a young kid.. All those guys
in costume running around to capture us all and throw us into the pool and so on…. But fun generally.
July 12th, 2012 at 4:35 am
Could be Blue Funnel? Cargo/passenger ships out of Liverpool to the Far East. They had Ancient Greek/Trojan names. I didn’t have to work, just that mum made me. Heh, crossing the line was always fun. As well as being a spud barber I learnt washing down and holystoneing wooden accommodation decks/oiling wires/painting. If it moves you oil it, if it doesn’t then paint it. Old school navigation (sextant with star, midday sun sights, plotting on chart) I can still remember all the main stars. Then as I got older, sneaking ashore with the crew to the forbidden bars
getting lectured next day by mum. 
July 12th, 2012 at 6:52 am
I can’t remember what line that cargo ship was.. it was in 1952 after all…… Not even sure if it was a British flag carrier or some other nationality. But I enjoyed it, as it was all very small and friendly, not one of those enormous floating gin palaces that the P&O and similar passenger ships were. But as I said earlier, it was simply the best way to get around the world, it was peaceful, one saw all sorts of interesting places en route (Aden and so on), one arrived all fresh and acclimatised, none of this cattle truck travel we undergo these days…. civilised in fact.