If you’ve ever had the urge to run long distances while juggling three balls, you’ll probably get along with Moncton, N.B.’s Jean-Marc Doiron. On Sunday, the 36-year-old joggler just raced the Rimouski Half-Marathon in Rimouski, Que., chasing the Guinness World Record of 1:17:09 for the fastest half-marathon while juggling. Doiron finished seventh overall in 1:17:49, just missing the record by a mere 40 seconds
For the time to be eligible for the joggling half-marathon record, the athlete can only make forward progress while juggling the three balls. If a ball drops or the athlete needs to grab food or water, they must stop moving forward while the clock continues running. Doiron revealed that he dropped a ball three times throughout his run, which delayed him by 15 seconds.
The current Guinness World Record for the joggling a half-marathon is held (along with numerous other jogging-related records) by fellow east-coaster Michael Bergeron of Halifax. Canadian runners hold four of the top five joggling half marathon times in history.
“I felt kinda off with my rhythm the whole way. I had a hard time just zoning out and letting time pass. Headwind on the way back eventually broke me,” Doiron wrote on Instagram. Despite falling short of his goal, he remains optimistic and motivated, expressing his confidence that he will be able to grow from the experience. He said he was much more devastated when he missed the marathon-joggling world record by two minutes in the spring.
The Guinness World Record for the fastest joggling marathon of 2:50:12 is also held by a Canadian–Michal Kapral of Toronto.
Doiron advocates for runners to stay motivated and to challenge themselves to achieve even small wins. Doiron has more than 100,000 followers on Instagram, where he posts inspirational and informative videos for the running world. He also posts regular updates on his own training and progress as he chases these world records.
The Moncton multitasker says he will attempt the marathon-joggling world record again next month at the 2024 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Oct. 20.
