On a Yacht around the World : What Records did Travelers Set?
The record of Laura Dekker, who at the age of 13 went around the world on a yacht, was not counted. We tell you why. What unusual records did travelers set? How difficult is it to replicate their achievements?
The fitness trainer answers.
Do you believe that some people want to go on a trip not to relax, but to set a record? It will sound unbelievable, but such people really exist. And everyone who embarked on a crazy adventure was driven by something different.
Now just read the stories of these people and be inspired by their courage, willpower and slight madness, without which they would not have done anything like this.
It is difficult to walk 2760 kilometers even on foot, let alone on stilts. Not everyone will master it both physiologically and psychologically.
Sylvain Dornon, a Frenchman from the city of Landes, made his way from Paris to Moscow, moving on wooden stilts one and a half meters high. Starting on March 12, 1891 and covering 60 kilometers every day, the brave man reached his destination in less than two months. In every city, Sylvain caused a sensation – the inhabitants left their houses to look at the passing tourist.
From the outside, of course, it looked difficult. By the way, if you want to become a Silvain for a while, there are many tutorials on the Internet.
The distance between the capitals is 2760 kilometers. This is non-stop 30 hours by car or 560 hours on foot. Today, when you can fly from Moscow to Paris in two hours, this story seems crazy. Is not it?
Is such a journey possible without preparation?
Egor: I think, before the trip, Dornon prepared or did good physical labor. Perhaps he trained his balance, learned how to walk correctly and how to wrap around sticks in order to minimize unnecessary movements along the way, thereby conserving energy. At the same time, Silvain had to understand what to wear, where to stay and what to eat. However, walking on stilts is not a supernatural thing. With the desire and good preparation, this is possible.
Hans Mulikin: across America on all fours
Preacher Hans Mulikin traveled to Washington DC from Marshall, Texas. All 2600 kilometers of the route 39-year-old man crawled on all fours. In his hands he held an axle with wheels of different diameters. This compensated him for the slope of the road to the curb. In order not to hurt his legs, he wrapped them in fur and protected them with steel strips.
After spending more than two years on the journey, which began in 1978, he reached the White House fence and asked for an appointment with then-President Jimmy Carter. The security of the residence refused Mulikin. Then he addressed a speech to journalists, saying that the government wants the bowed heads of the population, silently walking on their knees.
Whether it was a way to change the attitude of the authorities towards the people or an attempt to set a record and go down in history, one can only guess.
What could be the consequences of such a record?
Egor: Crawling on all fours for two years is not very good for the musculoskeletal system: you can injure your knees and back. We must remember that we are upright people. Each part of the body has its own purpose.
Now Blessit is 80 years old, and he continues to wander and carry the cross. In total, in 54 years, the traveler crossed seven continents, visited 324 countries of the world, walked more than 70 thousand kilometers, took 86 million steps and was arrested 24 times.
In the 90s, doctors diagnosed Blessit with an aneurysm (protrusion of the artery wall) and forbade him to engage in active physical activity. The man decided that no circumstances could change his vocation. In 2008, Arthur became the first person to officially walk around every mainland country and every major island on the planet. Later, all his achievements were included in the Guinness Book of Records.
In 2009, a documentary about this amazing man was released.
Is such a difficult journey dangerous for a person of 80 years old?
Egor: You need to subject the body to loads as long as the body allows you to do this. The only question is in individual contraindications. However, in this case, the load can be chosen for yourself. In general, everyone needs physical activity. It is directly proportional to psychological health. This is how the hormonal and nervous systems, psychosomatics develop.
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Many people have traveled dozens of countries on foot, but the Briton Robert Garside was the first to run around the world.
Garside became obsessed with running in the late 80s when he came across a copy of the Guinness Book of World Records and noticed that there was a world record for walking, but not for running.
Robert began his journey on October 20, 1997 in New Delhi (India) and ended there five and a half years later, on June 13, 2003. In 2062 days, he covered 48 thousand kilometers, visited six continents, except for Antarctica, and 29 countries. At the same time, the athlete was fleeing armed attacks in Mexico and Panama, spent three days without food, was imprisoned in China and wounded in Russia.
For a long period, Garside’s record was criticized by athletes and the media. They claimed that Robert could not cope without someone’s help. However, the runner had evidence – witnesses and a 300-hour videotape, according to which the Commission of the Book of Records verified the authenticity of his statements.
By the way, Robert met his future wife while running through Venezuela in 2000. This is another great excuse to go out for a run in the evening.
What happens to a person who runs every day for five years?
Egor: It depends on what distance to run. With a reasonable one, the functional abilities of the body increase. If you do not know the correct technique, you can ruin your knees. A lot depends on weight: an obese person risks getting a lot of health problems. An important point is shoes and a place to run. If you follow all the rules, then such a run will benefit: the capillaries will thicken, endurance will increase.
Laura Dekker: sailing around the world on a yacht
In 2009, when Laura was 13 years old, she announced her intention to travel around the world on her 12-meter yacht “Guppy”. Due to age, the Dutch authorities opposed the plan. In December of that year, she violated a court order and tried to fulfill her dream. True, unsuccessfully: Laura went to the Caribbean, from where she was later returned home.
In July 2010, the court lifted her restrictions, and the dream became a reality. On January 20, 2011, 16-year-old Dekker left the island of Sint Merten on the Guppy and, having circled the Earth, returned back. Laura swam 50,000 kilometers in 519 days. So the girl became the youngest navigator who made a solo trip around the world.
Officially, the Dutch record was not set off, as representatives of the Guinness Book of Records refused to recognize Laura’s achievement, so as not to inspire other teenagers to similar feats.
Is a teenager able to cope with difficulties along the way?
Egor: I would put two concepts into age: physical abilities and life experience. Speaking about the first, young people who are in their prime can endure a great burden: both illness and depression. It is more difficult for an older person to do this. However, if you think about the second, the older the person, the more experience he has. He understands better than a teenager when and where to sail, when there is a storm, what to eat, whether it is possible to drink salt water, how to fish. Laura Dekker had enough physical and moral strength. The girl was aware of security issues. In fact, people and rafts swam alone. For example, in the 20th century, Ulli Williams, at the age of 60, traveled from Peru to Samoa on a wooden raft. On a yacht, people can do much more.
Laura is an example that, if desired, you can achieve any goals. The yachtswoman speaks modestly about her victory: “I don’t consider myself a hero at all. I am an ordinary girl who believed in a dream.” Believe and you.