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LAYTON — If you ran the Layton Marathon last Saturday, you may or may not have been aware that there was a world-record attempt taking place — a record that would take the combined effort of over 80 runners all tied together for the entire race.
A couple of years ago, friends Tim Gill and Joe Coles thought it might be fun to gather a group of runners to break the record for the most runners (77) to complete a marathon tied together.
Coles, who is the owner and race director at One Hill Events, knew he had the perfect course to complete the task.
Not only is the Layton Marathon a beautiful course that runs through Antelope Island, but it is also the only world record course in Utah, with its C shape and 250 feet of total elevation change.
Word quickly spread of the attempt, and soon there was a group of around 100 runners wanting to have a part in this event, with each runner paying a $20 refundable commitment fee.
But, it wasn't just gathering runners, tying people together and running for 26.2 miles. This took months of planning and figuring out how to best complete the task. Things like bathroom breaks, fueling stops and the possibility of runners dropping needed to be figured out. And, of course, there was the rope system — what type of rope to use, how to tie it, and how much space to give each runner — a task that was delegated to runner and popular blogger Joshua Hansen.
It all came together on the morning of Oct. 10 when 88 runners lined up "centipede style" for the start of the marathon.
"We had two captains at the front, one in the middle and one at the end to make sure that the pace wasn't too fast, " Coles said. "We started out using Walkie Talkies, but soon figured out that yelling worked better.
"The thing that we underestimated was the bathroom breaks," Coles said. "With only a few porta-potties at each stop, each break took around 20 minutes."
The group was also presented a few more challenges along the way with three dropping out due to injury and three more for other reasons. There was a fear that over the course of the marathon, they may not finish with all the runners they needed.
"There is a reason they call this a world record," Coles said. "This was not easy to get through."
We started out using Walkie Talkies, but soon figured out that yelling worked better. The thing that we underestimated was the bathroom breaks. With only a few porta-potties at each stop, each break took around 20 minutes.
–Joe Coles
But, after 7 hours, 44 minutes, the group crossed with 82 runners, setting a new world record.
"When we finished, we were all as happy as can be," Coles said. "Sometimes the biggest highlights are met with the biggest challenges beforehand."
And while each runner was excited to be a called a "world record holder," there was something that each one did to give back. That $20 commitment fee that each was refunded for participating was donated to the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
"This was a great group of runners," Coles said. "We all found the experience to be very rewarding."
Arianne Brown is a mother of six young children and an Altra, PROBAR, Nuun, and Unshoes sponsored athlete. For more writings by her, search "A Mother's Write" on Facebook or Twitter @A_Mothers_Write
