From accomplishing feats of real physical prowess to tackling some of the wackiest things you’ve ever heard of, these 15 outdoor world record holders have pushed the boundaries of what’s possible, often venturing into the realm of the extreme and/or bizarre. Read on to discover some of the most mind-boggling records broken in the great outdoors.
Fastest Half Marathon Hula Hooping
As if hula hooping wasn’t hard enough, the fastest half marathon run while hula hooping took three hours, three minutes, and 48 seconds. Betty Shurin—aka Betty Hoops—from the U.S. holds the world record for her hula-run at the Hollywood Half Marathon in Los Angeles, California back in 2012.
Longest Bicycle Wheelie
A bicycle wheelie is when the front wheel of a bicycle is raised off the ground and kept in the air while riding. The longest bicycle wheelie on record lasted for one hour and covered a distance of 19.23 miles. That’s faster than most people ride a bike with two wheels on the ground. The record was set in 2020 by Swiss rider Manuel Scheidegger in Bern, Switzerland in support of the organization Wheels4Nepal.
Highest Slackline Walk
It doesn’t get more crazy than slacklining between two hot-air balloons. Rafael Zugno Bridi from Brazil walked 59 feet on a slackline between two hot-air balloons over the Praia Grande in Santa Catarina, Brazil at an altitude of 6,236 feet, breaking the record for the highest slackline walk.
Longest Ski Jump
Ski jumping is a winter sport in which athletes jump off a manufactured hill, pursuing both style and distance. Olympic and World Championships don’t encourage pushing hill sizes, so the records in this sport are usually set elsewhere. The official world record for the longest ski jump was set by Stefan Kraft, who jumped 832 feet at Vikersundbakken in Vikersund, Norway in 2017. The women’s world record is held by Ema Klinec who jumped 741 feet in Vikersund in 2023.
Largest Wave Surfed
If you’ve ever had a huge wave crash over you, then you know how bold it is to surf big waves. Sebastian Steudtner holds the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed—86 feet, which is equivalent to surfing an eight-story building.
Fastest Land Speed Record
Formula 1 cars travel between 200 and 234 miles per hour, but the land speed record holder clocked in at 763.035 miles per hour. It doesn’t even seem possible, but Andy Green, a retired British Royal Air Force fighter pilot, defied sanity in a twin turbofan jet-powered car, which he drove at this speed for over one mile in October 1997. This insane record is also the first supersonic record, meaning he was driving so fast that it actually broke the sound barrier.
Deepest Free-Dive
Free-diving is one of the most dangerous sports in the world, since rescues can be nearly impossible at certain depths. That doesn’t bother Alexey Molchanov, who broke the world record for deepest free-dive with a mono fin in 2023. In Villefranche-sur-Mer, France, Molchanov dove to an unbelievable 436 feet deep with a single breath.
Longest Breath Held Underwater
After years of training, Budimir Šobat from Croatia set the record for longest time spent underwater without breathing. Šobat was able to hold his breath underwater for 24 minutes and 37.36 seconds, and the record was set back in 2021.
Longest Slackline Walk
The longest slackline walk covered a distance of 8,943 feet—a seemingly impossible distance between Puy de l’Angle and Roc de Cuzeau near Mont Dore, France. This record is held by multiple talented athletes from all over Europe and Canada—Julien Roux, Augustin Moinat, Arthur Lefebvre, Benoît Brume, Mattis Reisner, Joseph Premoselli, Tania Monier, and Mia Noblet performed a “team send” of this challenging slackline in 2022. Rigged at 965 feet, it wasn’t the highest slackline walk, but it was undoubtedly the longest.
Longest Stand-Up Paddleboard Journey
Peter Charlesworth planned for more than 18 months to attempt and complete this world record, paddling 1,663.62 miles on his paddleboard. After a triple bypass surgery, he took on the challenge to bring awareness to heart health. The Australian paddled from March 4 all the way to June 11, 2023 along the Murray River, mostly rowing the length of the river. He traveled alone, camping every night of his trek.
Most BASE Jumps in 24 Hours
There’s nothing more wild than cramming in as many BASE jumps as possible in a single day. Dan Schilling from the U.S. still holds the record from back in 2006, when he made 201 jumps in just 24 hours at the Perrine Memorial Bridge in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Highest Space Jump
It’s considered a “space jump” when a skydiver or parachute jumper starts from such a high distance that they are almost in space. Technically, no one has actually jumped from space, which is defined as 100 meters above Earth, but Alan Eustace gets the record for the closest. In 2014, he set the current world record for the highest and longest-distance free fall, jumping from 41.422 kilometers or 135,898 feet above the earth.
Longest Distance Traveled on a Unicycle
Lars Clausen from the U.S. traveled the longest distance without handlebars in the 1980s, setting a record of 11,315.8 miles upon a unicycle. This unicycling expert set a record so high that no one has come close since.
Longest Ice Swim
If you think you can handle cold water, how about ice water for more than an hour and a half? In 2023, the longest distance ice swim record was set by Krzysztof Gajewski from Poland in a lake at Czarna Góra Resort near Sienna, Poland. Gajewski swam for one hour, 46 minutes, and 16 seconds. The water temperature average was 40.7 degrees Fahrenheit. (It must be under 41 degrees Fahrenheit to qualify as an ice swim.) Gajewski was only allowed to wear a regular swimsuit, cap, and goggles.
Fastest Kayak Down the Mississippi
Long-time kayaker Traci Lynn Martin, the “Mississippi Mermaid,” has attempted many world records. Martin holds the record for the fastest kayak down the Mississippi—a feat that took her 55 days. Martin defies all odds as she has scleroderma, an autoimmune disease. The journey spanned 2,316.17 miles.
