Fargo’s flat land draws unicyclist
Zach Warren attempted to break the Guinness World Record Sunday for most miles ridden on a unicycle in one hour — twice.
When Warren, a 24-year-old student at Harvard Divinity School, decided to attempt the feat, he knew he would need very flat terrain to try it.
He chose Fargo — naturally.
Warren is no stranger to world records. He holds the record for “marathon joggling,” having run the 26.2-mile Philadelphia Marathon while juggling the entire time.
Dogged determination
Tom Smith, an employee at Island Park Cycles, said Warren called the store about two months ago and explained his intentions. Smith said the store decided to sponsor the effort out of curiosity.
“ We wanted to be a part of it,” Smith said. “Why not get involved?”
Smith happened to be in Boston last weekend and got the chance to meet up with Warren.
Together they arranged for Warren to arrive in Fargo Thursday night, giving them plenty of time to scout the area for a suitable location.
Warren selected Cass County Highway 31, a 3.8-mile stretch on the north edge of Fargo that curves through Highland Park.
The weather played a huge factor in whether Warren could make the attempt; luckily, Sunday morning dawned with overcast skies but very little wind — a rare commodity in Fargo.
With a roughly measured course stretching in front of him, Warren mounted his custom designed speed cycle and began the hour of riding, attempting to break the current 14.27-mile world record.
A small group of bicyclists surrounded the unicycle to witness his attempt and help direct traffic, as vehicles still freely traveled the road throughout the endeavor.
Warren pedaled along tenaciously, carefully balancing himself above the 45-inch wheel. Riding a unicycle requires being balanced in all four directions and executing arm movements that are “carefully crafted steering,” Warren’s father, Staff, said.
Warren’s father and brother Ben accompanied him on the trip. Staff drove the van behind the cyclists, while Ben rode a bicycle beside Warren.
The attempt was going smoothly for Warren, whose time was more than three minutes less than the world record pace halfway through.
About 40 minutes into the endeavor, Warren crashed to the ground, but recovered immediately to re-board the unicycle.
After checking the pedals and gears, Warren climbed back on, but couldn’t maintain his balance. Several failed attempts revealed that a bolt was missing and would need to be fixed before Warren could continue.
Warren’s entourage whipped into a flurry of activity, searching for the bolt and trying to conjure a makeshift repair using a strap.
The entire situation lasted about five minutes, a precious pocket of time that put Warren behind the record pace by almost two minutes once he returned to cycling.
Determinedly, Warren tried to make up the lost time and actually crossed the line marked “old (world record)” before time completely expired.
Smith, though, said he believed he had miscalculated the mark and would need to do a more accurate measurement to determine if Warren had indeed broken the record.
After a few minutes of quick mathematics and bicycle calibrations, Smith confirmed that Warren had missed the actual record mark by just under a mile.
“ I think I just got ahead of myself a little bit,” Warren said of his fateful fall. “The faster you go, the more precarious it becomes.”
As he caught his breath, Warren asked what the wind was supposed to be like the rest of the day, a question met with stunned looks from his onlookers.
Warren went on to say once he rested a little and got some food in him, he’d be ready to try it again in maybe an hour.
“ I feel fine physically — a little nerve wracked,” he said. “It’s like having a paper due in an hour.”
At approximately 11 a.m., Warren was warming up for his second attempt at breaking the record. Unfortunately, the wind had picked up slightly and overcast skies threatened rain.
Warren doggedly pedaled along for the full hour, but the increased wind speed, combined with exhaustion, proved too formidable.
He missed the world record mark a second time, collapsing to the ground after descending his unicycle when time expired.
“ The wind makes all the difference,” he said. “Wind has exponential force.”
Although he missed the record twice, Warren refuses to quit.
“ I’m going to come back and do it again,” he said.
Warren hopes for optimal conditions in August to attempt the feat once again.
A worthy cause
Sunday’s attempt was made as a part of a fundraising effort for the Afghan Mobile Mini Circus for Children.
Warren got involved with the circus through a neighbor who knew of the organization. He e-mailed the circus praising its efforts and subsequently received a request to come and teach children in Afghanistan to juggle and ride a unicycle.
“ I did it and I just fell in love,” Warren said. “It’s just so amazing; it has so much potential.”
He spent 10 weeks in Afghanistan last summer and will return at the end of May for a six-week stay.
So far, the organization has raised $10,000 and hopes to double that amount through donations and publicizing Warren’s record-breaking attempts. Donations can be made online at www.unicycle4kids.org.
Warren chose April 2 to honor his mentor, Jules R. Lodish, a quadriplegic who has written two books by blinking into a laser connected to a computer.
“ (Jules) is a person who embodies what is means to break limits,” Warren said.
Sunday was Lodish’s 61st birthday