Ashrita Furman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ashrita Furman
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Furman in Rome, Italy 2011
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Keith Furman
September 16, 1954 Brooklyn, New York
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| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Health food store manager |
| Years active | 1979–present |
Ashrita Furman, born Keith Furman on September 16, 1954, is an amazing record-breaker! He is famous for setting many Guinness World Records. As of 2017, he had set over 600 official Guinness Records. He also holds more than 200 records at the same time. This means he holds the world record for holding the most Guinness World Records! He started breaking records way back in 1979.
Contents
Life as a Record Breaker
Ashrita's Early Years
Ashrita Furman was born in 1954 in Brooklyn, New York. When he was a kid, he loved reading the Guinness World Records book. However, he never thought he could break a record himself. This was because he wasn't very good at sports.
As a teenager, he became very interested in spirituality. In 1970, he became a dedicated follower of a spiritual teacher named Sri Chinmoy.
Finding Inspiration
Sri Chinmoy encouraged Furman to try a 24-hour bicycle race. This race took place in New York City's Central Park in 1978. Even with only two weeks of practice, Furman did incredibly well. He cycled 405 miles (652 km) and tied for third place! Around this time, he changed his first name to Ashrita. This name means 'protected by God' in Sanskrit.
Ashrita's First Records
In 1979, Ashrita Furman set his very first official record. He completed 27,000 jumping jacks! Later, in 1986, he even invented a new record. He set the record for jumping on a pogo stick underwater. He showed this cool new record on the TV show Good Morning America on April Fools' Day.
Records Around the World
Since 1982, Furman has managed a health food store in Jamaica, Queens, New York. He also travels a lot as a tour manager for his meditation group. This travel has helped him set records in many different countries. By 2014, he had set records in 40 countries!
He achieved a big goal in 2003. He broke a record on all seven continents! He did this by setting the mile hula hoop record at Uluru (also called Ayers Rock) in the Australian desert.
Ashrita has also set records at famous places all over the world.
- At the Egyptian pyramids, he balanced a pool cue for a long distance.
- At Stonehenge, he stood on a Swiss ball.
- At the Eiffel Tower, he did the most sit-ups in an hour.
- At the Great Wall of China, he hopped on a kangaroo ball.
- At Borobudur, he ran a mile the fastest while balancing a milk bottle on his head.
- At Angkor Wat, he jumped rope on a pogo stick.
While in China, he broke a record that had stood since 1982. He ran 8 kilometers (5 miles) on stilts in the fastest time. He finished in just 39 minutes and 56 seconds!
Creating New Challenges
Ashrita Furman has also created new types of record-breaking activities. One of these is landrowing. He used a special indoor rower with wheels and brakes. In 1991, he rowed 1,500 miles (2,400 km) in 16 days in Bali.
He also invented a sport called gluggling, which is juggling underwater. In 2002, he gluggled for 48 minutes at Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium in Auckland, New Zealand. Another new sport he created is distance sack racing. In 2007, he raced a yak for a mile in Mongolia while in a sack!
On January 30, 2008, Furman showed off a giant pencil he helped create. It was 76 feet (23 meters) long and weighed 22,000 pounds! It had 4,000 pounds of Pennsylvania graphite inside. This huge pencil was built in just three weeks. It was a birthday gift for his teacher, Sri Chinmoy. This pencil was even longer than the 65-foot (20-meter) pencil outside the Malaysia headquarters of Faber-Castell. It was moved from Queens, New York, to the City Museum in St. Louis.
In April 2009, Ashrita Furman became the first person ever to hold 100 Guinness World Records at the same time. He continues to inspire people with his amazing dedication and creativity!
See also
- Impossibility Challenger
