A world record may not have been broken, but the sheer determination and dedication of a Central Alberta athlete has shone through.
Adventure cyclist Ryan Correy, 27, of Bentley, began his attempt to break the Guinness Book of World Record for the longest time continuously cycling on a spinning machine on Oct. 6 at Best Body Fitness in Sylvan Lake.
The current record is eight days and eight hours. This was just verified by Guinness Book of World Record officials recently after someone beat the record in March, said Correy.
After cycling for six days and 20 hours, and with just 36 hours left to go, Correy reached his limit.
“Ryan had woken up from a nap and he didn’t know where he was or what he was doing,” said Scott McDermott, owner of Best Body Fitness, who is current speaking on behalf of Correy. “He was a little bit lost, so we made the call to stop.”
McDermott added physically Correy would have been able to continue, but because of the sleep deprivation he endured, it was best to stop.
“He could have physically done it, even though just days before he got a viral infection and wasn’t 100 per cent when he started,” said McDermott.
To beat the record, Correy had to travel 20 kilometres an hour. He was allowed five minutes off the bike for every completed hour he rode. These break times could be carried forward.
As part of his strategy, Correy began taking 20-minute sleep breaks every four hours in hopes of keeping up his energy.
“Ryan is a phenomenal athlete and we are proud as heck of him,” said McDermott. “Just to have the courage to try it is amazing.”
He added Correy had two goals going into the attempt and those included breaking the record and bringing the community together.
“He absolutely brought the community together,” said McDermott. “We’ve had people calling the gym and we’ve had a flood of messages for Ryan. We’ve seen people in the gym that we haven’t seen in three and four months. He inspired people you wouldn’t think would be inspired.
“He’s touched so many people.”
Meanwhile, it’s too early to tell if Correy will attempt to break the record again in the future.
“If he does do it again, we’ve learned some things from this first attempt,” said McDermott.
For more information about Correy visit www.ryansdream.wordpress.com.
efawcett@reddeerexpress.com
