When pushed to the limit, it is amazing what the human body can do. We are always told to push ourselves, go as far as you can go to receive maximum satisfaction. The people on this list however, took it just a little bit further (understatement of the century). It is quite amazing what these humans have managed to accomplish by pushing science and supposed genetic boundaries way past breaking point. So without further a do, I bring you this weeks blog. Beast Mode: 10 Fantastic Feats From Human History. Disclaimer: Do NOT get any ideas to replicate these acts, these people are professionals in their own respective fields.
1
Beast Mode: 50 Marathons In 50 Days
Calling it the 50/50/50, Los Angeles native Dean Karnazes ran 50 marathons in 50 U.S. states in 50 consecutive days, beginning with the Lewis and Clark Marathon in St. Louis on Sept. 17, 2006, and finishing with the New York City Marathon on Nov. 5. Karnazes also ran 135 miles (217 km) nonstop across Death Valley in the Mojave Desert in temperatures reaching 120 degrees F (48 degrees C), and a marathon to the South Pole at minus 40 degrees (minus 40 degrees C). “It hurts so much and your body is saying stop, and you kind of override those mechanisms and force yourself to go on,” Karnazes told news sources.
2
Beast Mode: The Human Spider
Alain Robert has climbed most of the tallest skyscrapers in the world without a rope or any climbing equipment. Using only his hands and climbing shoes, Robert scales landmark buildings, including the Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House and the Sears Tower. More than once, he was arrested for illegally scaling a building while wearing a Spider-Man costume, causing him to be arrested and expelled from China. Many of his climbs last for over an hour and provide him no chance to rest until he reaches the top. His training, physical conditioning and technique allow Robert to climb by holding on to the small protrusions of building walls and windows, such as window ledges and frames, he claims.
3
Beast Mode: The Lightning Rod
Between the ages of 30 and 65, Roy Cleveland Sullivan was struck by lightning seven times – and survived them all. During that time, Sullivan averaged being struck by lightning once every five years, while the average person’s odds of being struck by lightning in a given year are one in 750,000. However, Sullivan increased his chances by working as a park ranger at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, which averages 35 to 45 thunderstorm days per year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Nicknamed the “Human Lightning Conductor” and the “Human Lightning Rod,” Sullivan has been struck by lightning more than any other human being, according to Guinness World Records. He died in 1983 at the age of 71 – not as a result of a final lightning strike, but from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, reportedly over an unrequited love.
4
Beast Mode: Push-ups
Pushups have always been the mark of strength. Almost everyone who works out have at one point of time engaged in a pushup contest with their friends. There is one man however who shouldn’t be allowed to participate in such contests and that man is Minoru Yoshida. In 1980 he completed a mindboggling 10,507 pushups without any breaks. The previous record was set by Charles Linster in 1965 who had completed 6,006 pushups. To this day, no one has been able to break Yoshida’s record.
5
Beast Mode: Seconds Out
This feat is certainly unfathomable. Boxing requires you to have incredible stamina and strength. Most boxing matches are short depending on the people who are fighting. In 1893, Andy Bowen and Jack Burke took part in a boxing match that took over 7 hours and 19 minutes before it ended. Both the boxers lost over 10 pounds during the match. What was truly amazing was that no one won.
After 7 hours, the referee had to call it a draw because neither of them was willing to give up. During the fight Burke broke his wrists and still continued to fight until every bone in his hand were broken. Bowen sustained grave injuries to his head and he also refused to throw in the towel. Apart from the unfathomable feat of punishing their bodies for so many hours, the truly amazing part of this feat was their sheer will. Despite almost breaking their bodies, they refused to give up and kept on fighting.
6
Beast Mode: Freefall
Felix Baumgartner, a daredevil from Austria, was billed as Fearless Felix after he became the first person to break the sound barrier without vehicular power on October 14th, 2012. His incredible 24.2-mile skydive in a space suit saw him plummet to earth at a bone shattering estimated speed of 843 miles per hour (faster than the typical cruise speed of a Boeing 747); demonstrating the human form’s sheer capacity for endurance.
7
Beast Mode: All Nighter x11
Way back in 1965, a high school student named Randy Gardner, under the supervision of Stanford University researchers, set a record that has not been touched to this day for multiple reasons: He stayed awake, without the use of stimulants, for just over 11 straight days.
Despite somehow managing to best one of his researchers in a pinball competition on day 10, the physical and mental consequences for Randy were pretty severe, including trouble speaking and with coordination by day three and hallucinations and paranoia by day five. By day 11, his condition was described like this: “Expressionless appearance, speech slurred and without intonation; had to be encouraged to talk to get him to respond at all. His attention span was very short and his mental abilities were diminished. In a serial sevens test, where the respondent starts with the number 100 and proceeds downward by subtracting seven each time, Gardner got back to 65 (only five subtractions) and then stopped. When asked why he had stopped, he claimed that he couldn’t remember what he was supposed to be doing.”
8
Beast Mode: Breath Test
With a PhD in medicine, mastery of the art of yoga, and an incredibly manly name, Stig Severinsen has dedicated a great portion of his life to breathing. And not merely in the sense that we all do—his current profession involves teaching people to breathe better, and if there is anyone qualified, it is Stig. After spending most of his adult life setting diving records (for both depth and time, with fins and without) Stig dropped the mic in 2012 after setting one that is highly unlikely to ever be broken: He stayed submerged, without assistance, for 22 full minutes.
9
Beast Mode: Skipping Meals
Prahlad Jani, and elderly Indian man who has professed something of an aversion to food and drink. Quite simply, he has claimed that he doesn’t need either at all, and his claim has successfully deceived testers on multiple occasions. Most recently in 2010, at the age of 82, Mr. Jani was held under close observation at Sterling Hospital in Ahmedabad, India. While there, he consumed no food and drank no water and did not urinate or pass stool for a full 15 days. His vital signs were found to be perfectly normal. Even Dr. Sudhir Shah, who participated, seemed to be having trouble reconciling his results: “We studied him for 15 days with him taking no water or food. Somebody doesn’t take water for seven or eight days, he surely dies.”
10
Beast Mode: 1, 2, 3…
Marva Drew’s son came home from school. He said that his teacher told the class it was impossible to count to a million, she took action. She was going to show the world that you COULD count from one to one million. But Guinness World Records usually likes some sort of proof, so Marva sat down at her typewriter and began typing. She typed for the next SIX YEARS. The result was almost 2,500 pages full of numbers. The newspapers started following her progress. Drew completed her book and was almost a world record holder. She just missed the itty bitty detail of having a witness to her six years of riveting typing.
Some of these feats and performances are inspiring, some not so much. I will once again stress to please don’t try any of this at home. Attempting some of these challenges could result in serious injury or death (of boredom for number 10). At least now you know what it takes to become a world record holder. No matter how weird or wonderful the activity may seem! If you want to buy the t-shirt that inspired this blog then please click here. If you want to carry on reading amazing stories of human achievement then please click here. Thankyou for taking the time to once again read this weeks blog. Tune in next time for more crazy stories!
