Toronto’s Kapral Aims to Bring ‘Joggling’ Title Back to Canada
Posted Tuesday, 19 September, 2006
TORONTO (September 18, 2006) – In what promises to be a thrilling battle of athleticism and hand-eye coordination, Michal Kapral of Toronto and Perry Romanowski of Chicago will go head-to-head at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on September 24 in a bid to set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon while juggling three objects.
The event will mark the second time in history that two jogglers race against each other over the full 42.195 km distance, and the first on Canadian soil.
“It’s time to bring the marathon joggling crown back to Canada,” says Kapral (also known as ‘The Joggler’). “I’ve been joggling like a maniac in training and I’m ready to rumble.”
Kapral is raising funds through A Run For Liane for the Sick Kids’ Childhood Cancer Research Centre. In addition, Kapral’s mobile in-home personal training company, Fitness At Heart Inc., co-owned with wife Dianne, will donate 10% of all sales between September 15 and October 31 to the charity. Donations can be made by visiting www.fitnessatheart.ca.
Kapral, 34, set the Guinness World Record for the “Fastest Marathon While Juggling Three Objects” at last year’s Waterfront Marathon in a time of 3 hours, 7 minutes and 49 seconds. The story was carried around the world, but the record was short-lived. In November, a 24-year-old Harvard Divinity student from West Virginia, Zach Warren, joggled the Philadelphia Marathon in 3 hours, 7 minutes and 5 seconds – the challenge was on!
In April, Kapral and Warren duelled at the Boston Marathon with Warren coming out on top with a new record time of 2 hours, 58 minutes and 23 seconds. Kapral also cracked the old record, crossing the finish line in 3 hours, 6 minutes and 45 seconds. Back on his home turf in Toronto, Kapral hopes to reclaim his world record with a sub 3-hour performance of his own.
A senior editor at Captivate Network, Kapral heads into the marathon with the confidence of having set the 10K joggling record of 36 minutes and 27 seconds at the Longboat Toronto Island 10K Run on September 10. Reebok is Kapral’s shoe and apparel sponsor. The father of two holds the Guinness World Record for "fastest marathon while pushing a baby in a stroller" (2 hours, 49 minutes and 43 seconds), which he set in 2004 with his daughter Annika. He won the Toronto Marathon in 2002 and was the top Canadian in the 2002 Boston Marathon.
Romanowski, a 37-year-old chemist, has completed 17 joggling marathons with a personal best time of 3 hours, 22 minutes and 44 seconds at the 2005 Chicago Marathon. His popular blog can be found at www.justyouraveragejoggler.wordpress.com.
Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon officials have granted Kapral and Romanowski special permission to run the race while juggling. Both men will juggle beanbags. Guinness World Records rules state that if the joggler drops a ball, he must return to the drop point before continuing. The balls must be juggled in the traditional cascade pattern, every step of the race.
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