Student to challenge unicycling world record

Phil Schleihauf will attempt to unicycle 160 kilometres in six and a half hours with no breaks

Phil Schleihauf
Image by: Asad Chishti
Phil Schleihauf

Tomorrow third-year student Phil Schleihauf will try to break a Guinness World Record for the fastest 160 kilometres traveled on a unicycle.

The current record has been held for nearly 25 years and clocks in at six hours and 40 minutes.

Schleihauf, Sci ’13, said he’s attempting to break the record to promote Queen’s Fair Trade Week, an event aimed at encouraging students to eat locally-grown foods.

Three previous attempts to break the long-standing record have failed, averaging seven hours.

Schleihauf’s goal is set at six hours and 30 minutes.

“I’ve done rides at longer distances at the record pace, so I’m not worried,” he said.

He added that he doesn’t plan on taking any breaks during the event on Saturday.

“Cycling jerseys have pockets in the back for food and I have a Camelback hydration system,” Schleihauf said.

More than 400 people are expected to attend the RecordSmash event at Memorial Park this weekend. It will conclude Queen’s Fair Trade Week.

“We really just want to raise awareness about student fair trade options on campus, like at the farmer’s market,” he said.

He added that this is the first Queen’s Fair Trade Week.

“We’ve been selling fair trade coffee at various places on campus and [held] a fair trade scavenger hunt … people tried to find local businesses on campus and near campus to find fair trade items,” Schleihauf said.

Other universities are following suit.

“I know UBC is definitely having an event like this, and so is McGill,” he said.

Phil received a $1,000 grant from Awesome Kingston — a small group of 10 community members that pool $100 each of their own money per month to donate to an idea.

“Awesome Kingston was a major target because they provide an environment to launch an idea,” he said.

Schleihauf said he’s been unicycling since he was 12 years old.

“I dreamed about it one night then I had to try, and once I started, I couldn’t stop,” he said.

In 2009, Schleihauf unicycled across Canada from Victoria, B.C., to Parliament Hill in Ottawa to fundraise for the charity Invisible Children.

“The main goal of the tour was to raise awareness about child soldiers and I raised $3,500,” he said.

Tags

fair trade, Guiness World Record, Phil Schleihauf, unicycle

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