Volkan Yıldız has entered the Guinness World Records as the fastest marathon skipper – the sport of skipping rope while running – after skipping 42 kilometers (26 miles) in three hours, 29 minutes and 54 seconds in Turkey's southern Mediterranean province of Antalya.
After three years preparing for the 13th International Antalya Runatolia Marathon held in March, Yıldız knocked American athlete Jerry Knox from first place in the Guinness World Records with a time 50 minutes faster than the previous record.
After several months waiting for the camera footage of the race to be analyzed, Yıldız received his official record certificate and signed his name in the record book this month.
"Receiving a record certificate after the race is a great feeling. This is the best gift I can give to my daughter. Having the record certificate in our home will be a great gift," he said.
Yıldız, a Kocaeli native who started running over six years ago to shed some weight, was inspired by his daughter to try marathon skipping. He initially competed in running marathons, but decided to bring a twist to the sport by marathon skipping instead.
"Skipping rope is challenging. Running a marathon is challenging. Doing them simultaneously is even more challenging. By achieving this, I broke the world record," he said, adding: "Learning to skip rope with my daughter and winning a world record is sublime."
Yıldız said his next goal is to compete in the upcoming Vodafone Istanbul Marathon held every November.
Knox became the world's fastest marathon skipper in 2017, when he finished the U.S. Seaside Full Marathon in Ventura, Califonia, in four hours, 20 minutes and 14.6 seconds. Knox had also broken the Guinness World Record for dribbling two basketballs while running a full marathon in London.
