It's always impressive when something record-breaking happens. The hottest day on record. The most expensive hamburger ever made. Even a personal best can be remarkable, whether it's running the fastest mile or breaking the taco-eating record. And while these one-off achievements are exciting, there's something to be said about sustained, long-term achievements that can occur over a very long period of time, which makes them that much more impressive.
10. Ricardo Abad ran marathons for 607 consecutive days
Many people consider running a marathon a major achievement in life. Some people train for months to run the world's greatest marathons, and not everyone can complete them, as they can be extremely physically demanding. And not to downplay anyone's achievements or hard work when it comes to marathons, but no one in the world runs marathons like Ricardo Abad. In fact, Abad holds the marathon record. He ran 607 marathons in a row for 607 days in a row .
Abad, a runner and factory worker from Spain, originally came up with the idea to run 500 marathons . After achieving this goal, he intended to make another 500 of the full 1,000, but even Superman has his limits. After 607, Abad had to part with the record, which was still far superior to his closest competitors.
9. St. Petersburg, Florida has had 768 consecutive days of sunshine.
Natural records can happen at any time and in any place. It's often impossible to tell they're happening until they're already happening. That's likely what happened when the city of St. Petersburg, Florida, managed to achieve an unexpected feat with weather conditions, when more than two years in a row there were pleasant sunny days .
Saint Petersburg calls itself the "Sunny City" - a title well deserved February 9, 1967 . It was the first day the sun rose over the city after the previous day's light cloud cover. Then the same thing happened on February 10th. March 10th. July 10th. And even February 10th, 1968. Only on Tuesday, March 18th, 1969, did the residents of St. Petersburg have to say goodbye to the sun and endure light cloud cover, just like the rest of us.
8. Marble Bar, Australia. The heat wave lasted more than 160 days.
No matter how sunny it is in Florida, the temperatures there aren't necessarily record-breaking. And for consistent, oppressive, and absolutely horrific temperature records, you'll have to travel halfway around the world and visit Marble Bar, Australia.
Heat waves are nothing new, and unfortunately, they are becoming more and more common these days. In the US, the average heat wave lasts four days . They can also be incredibly serious, as people who cannot cope with the temperature with things like air conditioning or adequate shelter and water can suffer harmful effects and even die.
Marble Bar often sees temperatures reaching 120°F or 49°C for about eight months of the year. But it was their 1923 heat wave that made the place so remarkable. Every day within 160-170 days ( data is conflicting) the temperature was around 100F or higher.
7. In 1862, a storm in California lasted more than 40 days.
You may remember that somewhere in the Book of Genesis, the Bible mentions a rather significant flood that lasted 40 days and 40 nights. Any storm that lasts more than a month would likely seem catastrophic to people of that time, and to be honest, it would probably be worse today, since people can share doomsday theories on social media. Somewhere in the middle is what people in 1862 thought.
Starting from December 1861 rains that flooded hundreds of miles lands in California, lasted for 43 consecutive days. The Central Valley, home to cities like Sacramento, Fresno, and Bakersfield, was under 15 feet of water. A third of the state's property was destroyed. One in eight homes was leveled. More than 200,000 head of cattle perished. When the new California government was sworn in on January 10, he had to row to the governor's mansion and enter through a second-story window. It is estimated, also died near 4000 residents .
6. Dale Webster surfed 14,642 days straight.
The difference between a hobby and a job is usually that no one pays you for a hobby, so you do it for the pleasure you get from it. And with that in mind, what hobby do you have that you're willing to pursue? 14,642 days in a row without a break?
Dale Webster, sometimes known as Everyday Dale , loved surfing. And he surfed every day for about 40 years. He began his surfing marathon in September 1975. Every day, he caught at least three waves, usually at a spot called Bodega Bay. He was out there, no matter the weather.
On October 4, 2015, Webster announced he was ending his 40-year streak. This was due to kidney surgery on October 5, which required him to remain on bed rest for several weeks.
5. Lakeview Goucher spewed oil from its geyser for 544 days.
Have you ever seen a video of an oil well exploding? It sometimes happens in movies, and you might see clips on the news of these geysers of oil spewing into the air. But when we see them, they're contained within tiny cavities, and it often seems like the next logical step is for someone to somehow cap them and prevent the oil from escaping. But that's not always the case.
Lakeview Goucher, an oil geyser that erupted in California in 1910, raged for 544 days and was unstoppable. It created a lake of oil and produced 18,000 barrels per day, which in total amounted to 9 million , before he stopped.
At the time, drillers were searching for oil about 100 miles north of Los Angeles. When a geyser erupted, it shot oil 200 feet into the air. The volume and power seemed more than the crew could handle, and instead of trying to control it, they tried to cope. Sandbag walls and pipes to redirect the oil were installed even as it created a crater around the original geyser, destroying a low-rise derrick and other equipment.
Eventually, the well collapsed on its own somewhere deep in the ground, sucking everything back into the depths as quickly as it had appeared.
4. The Alpine swift can stay in flight for 200 days straight.
We're always impressed when we see someone who can run fast or lift enormous weights. And perhaps human arrogance makes us focus so much on the incredible things humans can do, rather than on what other creatures in the world can do. It's a shame, because there are some animals that leave humans in the dust in every way imaginable. Take, for example, the humble Alpine swift.
These small birds can be found in parts of Europe and Asia, and for the most part, they seem unremarkable. To truly appreciate what makes the swift remarkable, you'll need a lot of time on your hands. The mountain swift can stay aloft for 200 days without touching the ground.
Researchers were able to determine the swift's remarkable flight endurance after attaching a tracker to it. These tiny birds, weighing less than half a pound, spend their summers in Europe and migrate to Africa for the winter. The main goal of tracking them was to observe how the birds navigate their migration: where they go, how long they spend there, how long they stop, and so on.
When the birds returned to Europe and the tags were collected, the team discovered that when the birds weren't breeding, they didn't land. Because the sensors collected data on acceleration, the bird's angle relative to the ground, and the angle at which light hits the bird to determine sunrise and sunset, they were able to determine that the birds never landed. They could maintain flight or glide for up to 200 days .
Birds feed on flying insects, so this aspect of how they manage their marathon was easy enough to understand. But how they slept is another matter. Clearly, birds are capable of maintaining flight while sleeping, or, as some suggest, perhaps they don't need to fly at all. needed dream .
3. A man went to Disneyland 2,995 days in a row.
Have you ever heard the term "Disney Adults"? This term refers to adults who are so obsessed with all things Disney that they devote significant time and money to supporting their fandom. This can include purchasing seemingly excessive amounts of Disney merchandise and, in particular, frequenting Disney theme parks. Some people go so far as to make almost weekly trips to Disneyland and Disney World. And, to be clear, these are adults. They may have children with them, but usually, by definition, they don't.
You'll be hard-pressed to find anyone who fits the bill of being a true Disney fan and an adult Disney fan more than Jeff Reitz . Due to COVID restrictions in 2020, when Disneyland closed its doors to visitors, Reitz had to interrupt his uninterrupted streak of regular park visits. Before the closure, he had been to Disneyland every single day for 2,995 days.
Reitz started going to the park in 2011, often going there right after work. He'd spend an average of three to five hours walking and then return home. When the park finally closed, ending his streak, he really had a hard time adjusting to life without it. Reitz says he started become depressed and on some days he found it difficult to even get out of bed.
2. Donna Griffiths sneezed for 976 days straight.
When it comes to physical achievements, many of us would probably be happy to achieve them. Being the best at something—the strongest, the fastest, or the smartest—is hardly a bad thing. But there are many personal, physical achievements that are less desirable, and some are simply strange and unpleasant.
Donna Griffiths has the dubious honor of sneezing more than anyone else in the world. She started sneezing on January 13, 1981, and stopped sneezing on September 16, 1983. This 976 days incessant sneezing. It was estimated that in the first year alone she sneezed a million times.
1. Valery Polyakov spent 437 days in space.
On most missions to the International Space Station, astronauts spend about six months . That's a decent amount of time to no longer be on a real planet. Astronaut Mark Vande took this to the extreme by spending 341 days in space . This gave him the record for the longest spaceflight by an American astronaut, and it's quite impressive. Just imagine spending almost a year in a place where you can't get food, water, or medical attention, or even visit a friend. You can't even get air. Your life is sustained by what you have with you and what's rarely brought to you. Definitely not for the claustrophobic or easily irritated. And while Wande's achievement is astonishing, it's by no means a record.
Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov set a record for the longest human stay in space. From 1994 to 1995, Polyakov aboard the Mir space station« 437 days . He only completed two missions in his life, but in that time he could have almost made it to Mars and back.
Polyakov volunteered for a long stay in space to act as a sort of guinea pig. The plan was to evaluate the impact of long-term space flight on the human body and mind. After his return, officials determined that he suffered no permanent or even lasting effects from his experience, except for a worsening of his mood that lasted for several months before returning to normal.