Sports Surfing

Seven Unbreakable Action Sports World Records

Cass Anderson August 6, 2011

In the world of sport there is nothing as singularly exciting and riveting as the breaking of a world record. Take the Olympics for instance, where every four years the nations of the world huddle in front of their computers, TVs, and radios in hopes of bearing witness to a record breaking. These record breakings are a splendiferous occurrence that unites the world of sport, yet often these record breakings take place outside of the public eye. The vast world of actions sports has endeared a large percentage of the world’s population, yet it lacks the organized structure of traditional sport. The unfortunate consequence of this being that when some of the greatest athletes the world has ever known set and break world records nobody outside of their field hears about it. Part of the allure for Olympic spectators is that these world record-breaking attempts can happen at any given point. This is not the case in the world of action sports where the standard of excellence is fused with certifiably insane athletes throwing their bodies and lives on the line.

1. Completing 14 Iron Man Competitions In One Year

On November 27th 2005, Jacques Fox began his historic quest to complete 14 Iron Man competitions in under a year. If you’re not familiar with the Iron Man format basically it is a super-charged version of the traditional triathlon comprised of 3 stages: a 2.4 mile swim (3.86km), a 112 mile bike (180.25km), topped off with a full length marathon of 26.2 miles (42.19km), completed in order with no break in between the various legs. So to tally that up in just ten months Jacques Fox of Luxembourg swam 33.6 miles, biked 1,568 miles and ran 366.8 miles all in competition. This super human feat and record breaking endeavor will never under any circumstances be matched or broken, simply because no rational human being is crazy enough to put that stress on their body - not to mention that this man was probably drinking the elixir of the Gods in order to keep his body in working shape. To put into perspective how taxing a single competition race can be on the human body take a look at the video below:
2. Flying A Wingsuit Across The English Channel

This record will forever stand intact because, well, Austrian Felix Baumgartner was the first to do it. On July 31, 2002 Baumgartner jumped from a plane above Dover, England deploying a never before seen type of wingsuit called a ‘Wingpack’ (now used by German Special Forces) that enabled him to fly the 22 miles across the channel and land in Blanc-Nez, France. Why some people have it in themselves to set out to accomplish feats such as this I’ll never understand. The need to get up and jump out of a plane at 220 mph with an oxygen tank and 6-ft carbon fin strapped to your back perplexes me, and its that very reason that this feat will never be bested (or even attempted) again.
3. Kite Surfing Across The Bering Straits

At a mere two weeks old this record has already cemented itself as one that should and will not ever be bested. On July 14th, 2011 Russians Konstantin Aksyonov and Evgeny Novozheev finally accomplished the feat they’d been planning for nearly three years of crossing the Bering Strait, from Russia to Alaska, on kiteboards. Several times this record had been attempted before, yet these two men were the first (and likely only) men ever to accomplish the feat. In one of the most inhospitable seas in the world the average human being is lucky to survive with the protection of a boat, braving freezing winds as well as a sea full of killer whales. Yet these two adventurers made the 56-mile crossing from Chukotka, Russia to Alaska, and without the help of a support vessel.
4. The World’s Longest Windsurfing Journey

In May of 2004 Brazilians Flavio Jardim and Diogo Guerreiro set out down the Brazilian coast to make history. Traveling a mind blowing 5,045 miles from Chui to Oiapoque down the Brazilian coastline the two set the record for the longest ever windsurfing journey spanning from May 17, 2004 culminating July 18, 2005. In what is typically a sport of short distances or riding in the face of giant waves, these two Brazilians set themselves apart by cruising down the majority of an entire continent on their windsurfers. To put this feat into perspective simply take a look this map.
5. Travis Pastrana Jumps A Rally Car 269 Feet

You didn’t think there could be a list of unbreakable action sports records without Travis Pastrana do you? In December 2009, Pastrana launched himself 269 feet onto a barge anchored at the Pine Street Pier in Long Beach, CA. Pastrana, one of the most decorated athletes in action sports, and multiple X-Games gold medalist, feels the need to put himself in harm in front of large crowds, but to break records in the process. Smashing the previous record by 98 feet, Travis set the gold standard of how far one needs to fly through the air before you scare others away from ever attempting to match your feat, and that standard still sits at 269 feet today. Check out his crash in practice leading up to the event below:
6. Mountain Biking World Record

Austrian mountain biking junky Markus Stöckl left an indelible and untouchable mark on the world of mountain biking this year when he set the land speed record at 102mph (164.95kph). Flying down the 550 meter long track of the active Nicaraguan Cerro Negro Volcano, Stöckl tested fate and the barriers of technology by riding his mountain bike for a mere 40 seconds in the face of death. Its not even plausible to think that this record will ever be broken legitimately, at those speeds no man (or woman) could think to survive any think beyond what he was able to achieve. Still a doubter? Check this video below:

More Mountain Biking Videos
7. The Longest Single Wave Ever Surfed

In March of this very year several world records were smashed when one truly astonishing waterman managed to surf his way more than 40 miles through the Panama Canal. On March 19, 2011 Gary Saavedra, 13-time national surfing champion and Panamanian national hero hopped on his board to become the first surfer ever allowed in the Panama Canal and set out to smash the record time of 1hr06min of consecutive open water surfing. As if that record stood any shot against a man as devoted (and insane) as Saavedra, he completely obliterated the previous record, setting the new open water surfing record at 3hrs and 55min. Furthermore, Gary traveled a sickening 41.3 miles during this outing. Saavedra can now rest easily in the record books knowing that his record will forever remain intact. The flat conditions of the Panama Canal were of immeasurable importance in completing this record, but and no man (or woman) is crazy enough to condemn their legs to the kind of torture that accompanies surfing continuously for nearly four hours. For footage of the feat check out the video below: