A few weeks ago on the “We Run This” podcast, Nick DiMengo and I discussed weird running records.
We discussed blindfolded miles, beer miles, and even marathons completed while hula hooping. Yes, that record exists.
One of the world records for miles run involved running backward. While Nick and I didn’t think we could best the time, we thought running a mile backward didn’t seem that hard.
Not only does world record holder Aaron Yoder make the feat seem easy, he looks like he’s barely breaking a sweat.
Well, Yoder does break a sweat, and running backward at that speed is not easy.
So why does the world record holder only run backward? Yoder was a competitive runner for more than 20 years until a knee injury prevented him from doing what he loved. So, he found an alternative – running backward.
In breaking the record, Yoder bested his own time of 5 minutes and 54 seconds – set back in 2015 – by 24 seconds. He completed the mile in 5 minutes and 30 seconds.
Yoder ran the mile on a long stretch of road in Kansas as part of the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile.
[via Men’s Health]