The weekly weird

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Man rides unicycle over 30 miles while juggling

An Idaho man rode a unicycle for more than 30 miles while juggling to break a Guinness World Record.

David Rush, who has broken nearly 250 Guinness World Records to promote STEM education, upgraded his unicycle for the record attempt from a standard 20-inch wheel to a larger 36-inch wheel.

It took four years of preparation and six months of serious preparation for Rush to officially tackle the record for farthest distance travelled on a unicycle while juggling.

Rush rode 123 laps around a track — 30.74 miles — before making a mistake while juggling, ending the attempt. His distance was more than twice the previous record, 12 miles, and also defeated an unofficial record of 18 miles.

Blind skateboarder breaks record

A blind skateboarder from Michigan earned the record for longest 50-50 grind on a skateboard (IS2). IS2 is Guinness’ category for record-breakers with visual impairments and a 50-50 grind is a trick where the board slides on a bar or other surface.

Daniel Mancina, 35, took up skateboarding at the age of 13, the same year he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that often leads to complete blindness. The condition’s progress was slow at first, but he eventually stopped skateboarding.

Years later, Mancina decided to give skateboarding another try, despite having only minimal sight in one eye. Mancina is now completely blind and is constantly updating his technique.

Tallest cat in the world

Fenrir, a Savannah cat belonging to William John Powers, of Michigan, was awarded the title of the tallest living domestic cat, at 18.83-inch tall, by Guinness World Records.

Savannah cats are a hybrid breed, a cross between a domestic cat and an African serval. Powers said Fenrir’s brother, Arcturus, was previously awarded the same title when he was officially measured at 19.05 inches in 2016, but the feline later died in a house fire. Arcturus still holds the title of tallest domestic cat ever.

Another of Powers’ cats, a Maine coon named Altair, holds the Guinness World Record for longest tail on a domestic cat living. Altair’s tail is 16.07 inches long. The record for longest tail on a domestic cat ever is held by Cygnus, Altair’s older brother, who died in 2016. His tail was 17.58 inches long.

A gardener’s pumpkin might break world record

Travis Gienger, a Minnesota gardener is taking aim at a Guinness World Record after spending more than 200 days growing a massive pumpkin.

The pumpkin started out as a seed from the current world record pumpkin, a 2,702-pound gourd grown by Stefano Cutrupi in Italy in 2021. Gienger previously earned his own Guinness World Record when he carved a jack-o’-lantern from a 2,350-pound pumpkin in 2020.

Gienger said he will find out if his pumpkin took the record when it is officially weighed on October 10 at the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in California.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 8th, 2022

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