Community members are invited to do something good for their health and the planet — and help set two Guinness Book of World Records.
St. John Physical Therapy, with help from the St. John and Virgin Islands communities, will assist National Geographic Kids Magazine set two Guinness World Records® titles: most people running/walking 100 meters in 24 hours; and the longest chain of shoes, which will be recycled into athletic surface.
The initiative, called Run for the Planet, inspires kids and families to do something good for their health and the environment. Run for the Planet supports First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign, which encourages people to get healthy and active.
The St. John portion of the record-breaking attempt will be Friday, October 26, from 4 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, October 27, from 7 a.m. to noon at the V.I. National Park ball field (across the street from Mongoose junction in Cruz Bay). Participants of all ages can either walk or run the 100 meters during one of the two time periods.
To help set the shoe world record, participants should bring old athletic shoes, which will be sent to National Geographic Kids and then recycled into athletic surfaces.
“October is Physical Therapy Month and we are very excited to host this event,” said Jessica Schnell, DPT, owner of St. John Physical Therapy. “Here at St. John Physical Therapy we believe in ‘healing through movement.’ National Geographic Kids has given us an opportunity to deliver our message to all members of our community and find a way to make staying active fun.”
“It was always my dream to open a physical therapy practice on St. John and in the past year I have been living that dream,” said Schnell. “I have had the privilege of assisting my patients work towards returning to an active lifestyle. I hope to see many of my patients out on the field, as well as many other members of our community — young and old and in between.”
“So please come out and join us in breaking two Guinness world records and show the rest of the world the large impact a small community can have,” she said.
Schnell is hoping for at least 200 St. John residents, and maybe some St. Thomas residents to be on the 100-meter track.
Just how far is 100 meters? It’s not that far at all, just a little less than 328 feet. That’s shorter than a football field or a home-run jog around a Major League baseball diamond.
National Geographic Kids Magazine and St. John Physical Therapy invite kids and families to get teams, classmates, organizations and communities to join them in setting the magazine’s sixth and seventh Guinness World Records.
To break the record, more than 5,000 people worldwide need to run 100 meters between noon ET October 26, and noon ET October 27, and more than 25,000 shoes will need to be collected and sent to National Geographic Society headquarters by November 9.
Other supporters include National Geographic Education; Healthy Kids Fun Run/Marine Corps Marathon (no federal or Marine Corps endorsement implied); Macerich Malls; Kids Run the Nation; National Recreation and Park Association; Let’s Move in School, an American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) initiative; Girls on the Run International; The Life is good Playmakers; and NIH’s We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity & Nutrition)®.
Visit kids.nationalgeographic.com/run-for-the-planet/ for official rules, additional locations, and other information.
It is not necessary to participate in both records, but those who want to certainly can. For more information contact Jessica Schnell at (340) 514-2376.