One little mistake and it’s over. And that’s exactly what happened. The furthest distance traveled on a unicycle while juggling continuously is a beast.
I can juggle very consistently but when you add a unicycle to the mix it obviously makes it a lot harder. Most unicycles have a 20-inch wheel which means you have a lot of leverage when you press with your feet, the challenge there is they only go about 5 miles per hour. When you’re trying to cover distance it’s much better to have a bigger wheel so I bought a 36-inch wheel specifically for this record.
It turns out it’s not as easy to ride as a 20-inch wheel. I had to relearn how to ride with far less leverage and try to average nearly 10 miles per hour (one rotation of the wheel takes you a lot further). I can do that for 30 minutes but then I lose circulation with all my weight seated in the same place. To regain circulation I had to stand up in the saddle which not only required me to learn a new skill, but it also tires out the legs shockingly fast. That’s not good when you’re trying to ride for a really long time. The more tired the legs, the more likely a mistake which ends the attempt. I had to build up endurance. I took 100 Peloton bike rides. I ran. And of course, I rode the unicycle while juggling. I rode around the neighborhood, I rode on the greenbelt path along the river, and I rode around the track.
After 4 years of preparation and 6 months of serious training, I was finally ready to make the attempt.
I started early on a Sunday morning and had to ride 20,000 meters to break the current official record of 12 miles and 18 miles to break the unofficial record. I ended up going a little further than both of them put together.
Despite 2 bugs in my eyes, wearing a hydration back in my mouth the entire time, gusts of wind, 3 near drops, wobbly legs, camera battery troubles, and general fatigue; it was over 3 hours and 20 minutes before I finally had 2 balls collide (just ever so slightly) that resulted in a drop and the end of the record attempt. I broke the previous official record of 12 miles by nearly 20 miles held by Jeremy Walker. (Jeremy also held the unofficial record of 18 miles but never submitted it to Guinness).
I rode 123 laps plus 270 meters for a total distance of 49,473 meters or 30.74 miles.
My hip flexor was so tight it got a small tear in it later in the day and I couldn’t run again for over a month.
