5-mile WR carrying 56lb. backpack easy to beat...

Sweet!! What's the furthest anyone has carried a 25.4kg backback! Can you Gallowalk?? History here I come!

As a somewhat experienced hiker as well as runner, I tryto keep mypack under 30 pounds because "it is a load". I think most would/will find that 7:20 per mile with a 56 pound pack is far more impressive than originally thought. I'm not saying it can't be done, just 'not easy', even if Gallowalking. Maybe other experienced hikers can give a more educated opinion.

what's really lame is the 24-hour run on a treadmill record listed in guiness. for females is was something like 95 miles and for men it was 100 miles. i didn't look that hard, but i didn't see anything in the book about the REAL 24 hour run record or records for 100 mile runs. not saying i'd want to run on a treadmill for 24 hours (or for just half an hour) but still that's a pretty weak record.

I'm 40# heavier than the average elite marathoner my height. If I could get rid of the pudge, strap it on my back and add a couple gallons of water in a camel back, I could still beat that record by 1 min/mi!

what is the longest mileage week ever recorded (and somewhat verified would be nice too)

Liposuction.

BurkeBC wrote:

what is the longest mileage week ever recorded (and somewhat verified would be nice too)

i remember reading something about stu mittleman doing a run across the US and he ran something like 85 miles per day for a few weeks on end. organized races across the US aren't THAT uncommon and i'm sure those people are doing some serious mileage every day.

Yiannia Kouros, the wonderful fella from Greece

6-day record 635 miles 147 yards set in New York, NY

658 in 6 days as a split in a 1000 mile race (just over 10 days for that record) and 639 miles for a straight 6 days.

I was referring to his track run.

Your 639 is a road 6-day.

The 658 miles 1144 yards gets that wonderful word "uncertified" because it is not a "standardised" measurement.

Gerry Lindgren ran 350 miles a week for six weeks straight. "I ran at least five workouts a day". In high school he would do 88 mile long runs nearly every week.

I have done lots and lots of hiking. That may look like an easy record, but 56 lbs will kick your ass.

What is the rule about lbs/mile? Sure, that time may not be the equal of Gebs 10k record, but it running that pace with a 56 pound pack will kick your ass. Trust me, I've tried it.

To handle that kind of weight well you have to be quite strong and have some size, that eliminates most good runners right off the bat.

I actually know the woman who has the world record for 24 hrs. on a treadmill (around 93 miles). She is a very nice lady, somewhat atractive, fun, and not really geeky. Nonetheless, it is a cheesy record. I can't remember what the particulars were (tread never stopping, bathroom breaks allowed or not, etc.), but a witness and fellow ultra runner described her as being "tougher than a woodpecker's lips." Sweet.

Hoof Whammy!!!

I would have to agree that this world record is much harder than what it sounds. I have backpacked a bit and know that 56 pounds on your back is going to be very hard to carry for 5 miles non-stop let alone at 7:20 pace. I try to keep my pack less than 30 pounds and it is tough for me to go very fast at all. I find this world record to be quite amazing considering how much the weight really does affect you on a hike. Good luck trying it though, maybe you will actually be able to lift the 56 pounds off the ground, I am not sure that I could, but then again I am just a cross country runner.

I think it's a pretty impressive record. 56 pounds is a pretty heavy pack. I spent six years as a light infantry officer in the US Army, so I've logged my fair share of miles with a pack. To say a good runner should be able to break this record is like saying a good 800m runner should be able to run a fast marathon. The basics are the same, but the two endeavors require very different skills. If anyone takes a shot at this record, I'd be interested to know how it turns out.

Not only is this record MUCH better than the first guy on this thread thinks, but....ummm...why would any of us ever want to try such a knuckleheaded thing? Every hear of hernias? Ever hear of having your knees crunch and your Achilles shred from repeatedly pounding the pavement with 56 pounds (that's fOUR stones, in English terms) on your back?

If you want to try for this "record," book a deluxe suite in a hospital first.

I carried about a 56 pound ruck this past week on an 8 mile road march that started at 0230 in the morning while carrying an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (approx 15 pounds). We were doing 18 min. miles and it f'ing sucked. I haven't tried running with a ruck that heavy yet but that is an impressive record for sure.

We'll see how fast we can run 10 miles in another week.

C/2-11 IN

I too am a ex-soldier (Army) and runner (800 - 10000m).

This record is impressive.

Most runners on this site wouldn't understand this unless they were hikers or ex-soldiers or marines.

Ask some (if you know any) Army Infantry/Paratroopers, Army Rangers or Army Green Berets who are good runners about this pack weight and that time.

I would be interested in knowing how some of the runners who think this would be an easy record to break if they are interested in trying this out!

Not to be funny but I don't believe most would be able to lift the 56 lb pack onto their backs without any help much less run 2 miles with it at a 7 minute pace without dying soon after.

I remember doing a 12 mile time trail during Army Air Assault training with what I believe to be around 75/90 pounds on my back and it was a butt-kicker (my weight was 155 then). Even though we were working off of 2 hours of sleep and had our combat gear on along with our M16s even if you subtracted the gear this was still rough.

Bottom line: 7 minute mile pace with 56 pounds on your back for 5 miles is a great pace!!!!!!!!!!