One of my favourite childhood traditions was poring over the yearly Guinness Book of World Records. It is always interesting to see all the weird and wonderful things humans are capable of. Here’s some of the amazing feats accomplished by wheelchair users all over the world. Check out these 20 official Guinness World Records held by people who are truly pushing the limits of what can be done in a wheelchair.
Longest Continuous Wheelie in a Wheelchair (25.8 km)
The record for longest continuous wheelie in a wheelchair goes to Xie Junwu of China. He covered a distance of 25.8 km (16.03 miles) at the Fangzhou Primary School athletics track in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China, on 12 May 2012.
Longest Journey in a Wheelchair (40,075.16 km)
The longest journey in a wheelchair goes to Canadian legend Rick Hansen. He wheeled 40,075.16 km (24,901.55 miles) through four continents and 34 countries. He started from Vancouver, Canada on 21 March 1985 and arrived back on 22 May 1987 on his “Man in Motion World Tour.”
Longest Stationary Manual in a Wheelchair (12 hrs, 30 minutes)
The longest stationary manual was achieved by Michael Dylan Kenned of Canada. He clocked a time of 12 hours, 30 minutes at the Civic Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, on 21 June 2014.
Fastest Wheelchair Marathon (1 hr 40 min 7 sec)
The world-record for fastest wheelchair marathon goes to Thomas Geierspichler of Austria with a time of 1 hr 40 min 7 sec. His record setting feat occurred during the 2008 Games in Beijing, China on 17 September.
Fastest Marathon in a Non-Racing Wheelchair (3 hr 18 min 59 sec)
The record for fastest marathon in a non-racing wheelchair goes to Joshua Landmann. His time was 3 hr 18 min 59 sec. The record was set at the Virgin Money London Marathon, in London, UK, on 28 April 2019.
Most Paralympic Titles Won (7)
The world-record for most Paralympic titles goes to Esther Vergeer of the Netherlands. She won seven Paralympic tennis wheelchair titles. No other Paralympic athlete has won more than three.
First Wheelchair Backflip (2008)
Aaron Fotheringham landed the first wheelchair backflip in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, on 25 October 2008.
First Wheelchair Frontflip (2011)
Aaron Fotheringham landed the first wheelchair front flip in Auckland, New Zealand, on 9 February 2011.
Most Manual Wheelchair Spins in One Minute (66)
The record for most manual wheelchair spins in one minute goes to Stephen Rainey of the UK with 66 spins (it makes me dizzy just watching him). The record was set on on 23 July 2015.
Greatest Distance Covered in 24 Hours in A Wheelchair (182.4km)
The record for greatest distance covered by wheelchair in 24 hours was set by Mario Trindade of Portugal with a distance of 182.4 km (113.34 miles). This was achieved at the Vila Real Stadium in Portugal, on 3-4 December 2007.
Most Power Wheelchair Spins in One Minute (120)
The record for most power wheelchair spins in one minute was set by Andy Waite of Australia, who performed a dizzying 120 spins! This was achieved at Spotless Stadium at the Sydney Olympic Park in Australia, on 7 December 2018.
Most Stairs Descended in a Wheelchair in One Hour (2917)
Haki Achille Doku of Italy holds the record for the most stairs descended in a wheelchair in one hour with an amazing 2,917 stairs. This is the equivalent to123 floors. He performed this feat in Seoul, South Korea, on 27 March 2019, beating out his previous record of 2,564 stairs.
Highest Wheelchair Ramp Jump (60cm)
Another one for the legend Aaron Fotheringham; the highest ramp jump on a wheelchair is 60 cm. This was performed in Rome, Italy, on 24 March 2010.
Longest Duration Balancing a Side Wheelie (18.22 sec)
Aaron Fotheringham has yet another accolade to add to the list with the longest duration balancing a side wheelie with a time of 18.22 seconds. This was achieved in Italy on 12 April 2012.
Longest Wheelchair Ramp Jump (21.35 m)
Aaron Fotheringham also holds the record for the longest wheelchair ramp jump with a gap of 21.35 m (70 ft). He did this in Tehachapi, California, USA, on 20 July 2018.
Highest Wheelchair Hand-Plant (8.4 m)
Aaron set 3 records in a single day on 20 July 2018. The previously mentioned longest wheelchair ramp jump (21.35 m /70 ft). The same day he also set the records for the tallest quarter-pipe drop-in on a wheelchair (8.4 m; 27 ft 6.7 in) and the highest wheelchair hand plant (8.4 m; 27 ft 6.7 in).
Longest Journey By Mouth Controlled Motorized Wheelchair (28000 km)
The longest continuous journey by mouth controlled motorized wheelchair was achieved by Chang-Hyun Choi of South Korea with a distance of 28,000 km (17,398 miles). He completed this journey between 10 May 2006 and 6 December 2007. He travelled at a maximum speed of 13 km/h (8 mph) across 35 countries in Europe and the Middle East.
Land Speed Wheelchair Record (107.546 km/h)
Jason Liversidge of the UK set the wheelchair land speed record of 66.826 mph (107.546 km/h) using his joy-stick operated electric mobility-vehicle on September 27, 2020.
Longest Moving Line of Wheelchairs (400)
The record for longest moving line of wheelchairs was an event organized by the Indian government on 29 February 2020 and consisted of 400 people.
Longest Wheelchair Basketball Tournament (27 hrs 32 min)
The record for longest wheelchair basketball marathon was set by the South West Scorpions Wheelchair Basketball Club of the UK. They played for 27 hours and 32 minutes at Filton College in Bristol, UK, from 11-12 August 2012.
Crossing the Sahara Desert in a Wheelchair
Sand is a nightmare to traverse in a wheelchair, that is what makes this endeavor even more amazing. Not to mention the blistering heat and blowing sand. In November 2016 Luisa Pearce set out to cross the undulating sand dunes to Erg Zaher the tallest sand dune in the Chigaga range. She used both a specialized lightweight wheelchair, as well as crutches during her journey. To finally reach the peak she ditched her crutches and crawled her way up. It was a grueling undertaking, even with the help of a specialized 14-person team, but she was successful in her journey.
First Wheelchair User to Make it to the Summit of Machu Picchu
At an elevation of 8000ft and kilometer of rugged, even trials and steep steps. Machu Picchu is not exactly what many would consider to be a wheelchair friendly destination. However wit the help of a special all-terrain chair (basically like a light-weight wheelbarrow), and a team of able-bodied helpers, Alvaro Silberstein of Chile was able to reach the peak of this world heritage site in December of 2018. Being the first wheelchair user to access the UNESCO world heritage site in its 600 year old history. Inspired by his journey he and friend Camilo Navarro started up the wheelchair accessible travel company Wheel the World, who now offer affordable accessible wheelchair tours to the sacred site.
First Wheelchair User to Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro
In May 2016 Paralympian Aaron Phipps of Great Britain became the first person to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro in a wheelchair (unassisted). It is a notoriously difficult climb, even for able bodies people due to altitude sickness and rugged terrain. However the amputee completed the final portion of the journey by crawling on his hands and knees.
First Wheelchair User to Make it to the Mount Everest Base Camp
In 2016 Australian Scott Doolan was the first wheelchair user to reach the Mount Everest Base camp. He completed most of the journey unaided, but used a specialized all-terrain wheelchair. During some inaccessible portions he opted to “wheelbarrow”, walking on his hands, while someone held his ankles, all while dealing with the altitude and uneven terrain.
Climbing a Sky Scrapper in a Wheelchair
Lai Chi-wai of Hong Kong, climbed 250m up the side of a sky scrapper for 10 hours using a rope and pulley system attached to his wheelchair. Previously a world-class rock climber before being paralyzed in a car accident in 2011 left him paralyzed. He raised HK$5.2 million for charity, to put towards exoskeleton funding, and raised awareness about people living with disabilities.
Climbing El Capitan and Half Dome in Yosemite
Paralympian Mark Wellman, who was paralyzed in a climbing accident, became the first paraplegic to to summit El Capitan and Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, and now helps other disabled climbers do the same. Using specialized adaptive climbing equipment he makes the experience accessible to anyone with a disability looking to try out something new.
I Hope you feel inspired…maybe even enough to start training for a record of your own!
