Div. School ‘Joggler’ Sets World Record at Marathon

Harvard Divinity School student Zachary J. Warren knows how to keep many balls in the air.

Warren set the world record for joggling—juggling while running—at Monday’s Boston Marathon, with a time of two hours, fifty-eight minutes, and twenty-three seconds.

Warren completed the marathon course while juggling three balls and running alongside a fellow joggler and former world record holder, Michal E. Kapral, in what Warren called a “joggling duel.” The two ran together for about half of the race before Warren pulled ahead, eventually placing 911th in the race.

“We paced each other throughout the race, but I picked it up around the seventeenth mile and on the hill. I wanted to speed up my miles throughout the marathon,” said Warren.

Though he juggles professionally to pay his bills, Warren said he never thought he would win the race.

“I didn’t expect to beat him. When you add juggling, though, it can really slow you down, if nothing else, because it takes so much focus to continue juggling.”

Keeping all three balls in the air was particularly hard around the beginning of the race and at the water breaks, Warren said. Kapral, who placed 1,761st, and Warren each dropped six balls en route to the finish line.

In order for Warren’s results to qualify him for a world record, the International Sport Juggling Federation needs to make sure that he followed proper joggling protocal. Using video tapes recorded by nineteen Outdoor Life Network cameras, the federation will ensure, for example, that joggling resumed within two steps of a dropped ball’s retrieval, according to Albert Lucas, the director of Olympic development for the International Sport Juggling Federation.

Anonymous judges were also in the crowd to keep watch on the two jogglers. When jogglers participate in marathons, a judge generally runs alongside each joggler, but competition for spots in the Boston marathon made this impossible, Lucas said.

The term “joggling” was coined by William R. Giduz and David Finnigan, and the first official joggling race took place in 1982, followed by the first joggling marathon in 1987. Joggling competitions now take place over many distances and even in relays, Lucas said.

The results of the Boston marathon will only add to the growing popularity of juggling sports, Lucas continued.

“Warren and Kapral exhibit great sportsmanship and are positive role models for how this sport can be done. We estimate there are about eight hundred jogglers around the world currently,” Lucas said. “Hopefully it will become more popular now.”

Warren said he ran to support an Afghani NGO called the Afghan Mobile Mini Circus for Children, which works to reduce the trauma of war for children. Warren set up donation collections at the race and also accepts donations through his website, unicycle4kids.org.

According to Warren, he and Kapral have scheduled a rematch for the Scotia Bank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in September.

“Kaprol wants a rematch. There will be another joggling duel in Toronto. This time its on his home turf.”