Skaters make bid for world record

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This article was published 04/02/2018 (2834 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

While most were probably enjoying a lazy Sunday, at least 385 people (unofficially) broke a Guinness World Record at The Forks.

On World Cancer Day, Chain for Change rallied skaters young and old to form a conga-style line down the Red River and shuffle 400 metres.

Their goal was to form the longest line of skaters, which they did, while also fundraising about $136,000 for the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation in the process.

Guinness rules required participants to hold onto each other with both hands and not break the skating chain.

The event drew a whole variety of folks, from the mayor to Mick E. Moose. There was at least one armed police officer, a smattering of kids and DJ Ace Burpee emceeing with a bullhorn. 

The first attempt at breaking the record was a bit of a disaster. 

Large gaps formed in the line because some skaters glided faster than others. At least one frustrated man yelled for others to “slow the f— down!” (which they did the second time around). 

Round two was the winner, although organizers are still counting just how many people did participate by reviewing photo and video footage. Early counts have the number pegged somewhere between 385 and 395.

Director Karly Tardiff says she has to submit all the related paperwork to Guinness before the Winnipeggers can officially be declared record-breakers. 

Tardiff said she “almost had a panic attack” the day before the event when she saw how cold the forecast was. Environment Canada recorded Sunday afternoon’s temperature at -19 C (or -33 C with the wind chill) with winds gusting up to 54 km/h.

After a year of planning, Tardiff worried not enough people would show up. Luckily, they were able to corral about 30 skaters from the Red River Mutual Trail who hadn’t previously registered, which put them over the edge. (The former world record of 370 skaters was set in Hachinohe, Japan, in 2015.)

Many of the pre-registered participants had family or friends who battled cancer, including Carleen Bezdek, who was six years old when she lost her grandmother to the disease. She said skating with her friend Shelley Fast was a fun bonding experience, but also provided an occasion to commemorate her loved one.

“Obviously the world record is pretty cool to be doing in Winnipeg, but if we don’t hit it, at least she’s doing a good thing,” said another skater, Lisa Misyk, referring to Tardiff’s fundraising efforts.

The original goal was to raise $20,000, which was far surpassed thanks in part to a $100,000 donation from the Burns Foundation.

“I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who participated and who raised money,” Tardiff said. “Winnipeg got behind us hard and it was amazing.”

jessica.botelho@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @_jessbu