Joggling facts for kids
Joggling is a fun and challenging sport. It mixes juggling with jogging. People who do joggling are called jogglers.
Most jogglers use juggling balls. Sometimes, they use juggling clubs. Any three or more objects can work. For long races, jogglers often pick light beanbags. These beanbags are filled with birdseed. They are easy to carry for a long time. They are also heavy enough not to blow away in the wind.
Jogglers usually juggle using a three-ball cascade pattern. This pattern is very efficient. It uses the least amount of energy. Jogglers say that moving their arms to juggle feels natural. It fits well with the rhythm of jogging.
Contents
- How to Joggle: The Rules
- Joggling Competitions
- Recent World Joggling Championships
- 2020 World Joggling Championships
- 2019 World Joggling Championships
- 2018 World Joggling Championships
- 2017 World Joggling Championships
- 2016 World Joggling Championships
- 2015 World Joggling Championships
- 2014 World Joggling Championships
- 2013 World Joggling Championships
- 2012 World Joggling Championships
- 2011 World Joggling Championships
- 2010 World Joggling Championships
- 2009 World Joggling Championships
- 2008 World Joggling Championships
- Recent World Joggling Championships
- Other Joggling Events
- World Records in Joggling
How to Joggle: The Rules
Joggling has simple rules for races and competitions:
- You must keep juggling while you run.
- If you drop an object, you have to go back to where it fell. You must pick it up and start juggling again from that spot.
Joggling Competitions
The World Joggling Championships happen every year. They are part of the International Jugglers' Association (IJA) festival. Winners get medals and their results are recorded. Anyone can join the championships. But you need to be good at juggling three balls.
To enter, you pay a fee. In 2019, it was $25. This fee covers all the events you want to enter. You also need to sign a form saying you understand the risks. For some harder events, like the 100-meter 7-ball race, you must show you can juggle seven balls well. For the 400-meter 5-ball race, you need to have finished the 100-meter 5-ball race in under 90 seconds.
Races at the IJA festival range from 100 meters to 5 kilometers. There are also relay races. In these, teammates pass one ball to the next runner. The next runner already holds two balls.
The first championships were held in 1980. This was at the IJA festival in Fargo, North Dakota. Bill Giduz, a joggler, organized them. He wanted more people to try joggling. Two races took place that day. Brad Heffler won the 100-yard race. Michel Lauzière won the one-mile run. He even ran it barefoot!
Recent World Joggling Championships
Here are some highlights from recent championships:
2020 World Joggling Championships
The 2020 championships were held online. This was due to the pandemic. People had to send in videos of their joggling.
| Event | Props | Division | Athlete(s) | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 meter 3-ball | 3 | MO | Sterling Franklin | 13.96 | |
| 100 meter 3-Shot Put | 3 | MO | Chris Fowler | 15.96 | New World Record (using 5 kg shot puts!) |
| 600 meter 3-ball | 3 | MO | Sterling Franklin | 1:44.90 | New World Record |
| 5K 3-ball | 3 | MO | Michael-Lucien Bergeron | 16:49.67 | New World Record |
Divisions: B12 - Boys 12-and-Under, B17 - Boys 13-to-17, MO - Men's Open, MM - Men's Masters
| Event | Props | Division | Athlete(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 meter 3-ball | 3 | G17 | Marla Edgecomb | 21.45 |
| 100 meter 5-ball | 5 | WM | JoAnn Ireland | 1:12.54 |
Divisions: G17 - Girls 17-and-Under, WO - Women's Open, WM - Women's Masters
2019 World Joggling Championships
These championships took place at Purdue University Track in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
| Event | Props | Division | Athlete(s) | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 meter 3-ball | 3 | MO | Mark Fiore | 8.28 | New World Record |
| 60 meter 5-ball | 5 | MO | Mark Fiore | 8.94 | New World Record |
| 200 meter 5-ball | 5 | B17 | Kyle Albrecht | 1:01.09 | New World Record |
| 600 meter 3-ball | 3 | MO | Sterling Franklin | 1:48.97 | New World Record |
Divisions: B12 - Boys 12-and-Under, B17 - Boys 13-to-17, MO - Men's Open, MM - Men's Masters
| Event | Props | Division | Athlete(s) | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 meter 3-ball | 3 | WO | Gabrielle Foran | 3:29.07 | New World Record |
| 200 meter 5-ball | 5 | WO | JoAnn Ireland | 3:23.63 | New World Record |
| 600 meter 3-ball | 3 | WO | Gabrielle Foran | 2:00.38 | New World Record |
Divisions: WO - Women's Open, WM - Women's Masters, Mixed - Men and Women (Relay)
2018 World Joggling Championships
This event was held at Springfield College Track in Springfield, Massachusetts.
| Event | Props | Division | Athlete(s) | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 400 meter 5-ball | 5 | MO | Matt Feldman | 1:22.13 | New World Record |
Divisions: B12 - Boys 12-and-Under, B17 - Boys 13-to-17, MO - Men's Open, MM - Men's Masters
| Event | Props | Division | Athlete(s) | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1600 meter 3-ball | 3 | WO | Gabrielle Foran | 5:45 | New World Record |
| 800 meter 3-ball | 3 | WO | Gabrielle Foran | 2:38.31 | New World Record |
| 4 x 100 meter 3-ball | 3 | Mixed | Katie Burgess, JoAnn Ireland, Becky Kresser, Gabrielle Foran | 1:29.21 |
Divisions: WO - Women's Open, WM - Women's Masters, Mixed - Men and Women (Relay)
2017 World Joggling Championships
These championships took place in Cedar Rapids and Lisbon, Iowa.
| Event | Props | Division | Athlete(s) | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5K 3-ball | 3 | B12 | Carter Randall | 30:19.22 | New Division Record |
| 400 meter 3-ball | 3 | B12 | Isaac Cantor | 1:24.31 | New Division Record |
Divisions: B12 - Boys 12-and-Under, B17 - Boys 13-to-17, MO - Men's Open, MM - Men's Masters, Mixed - Mixed Men and Women (Relay)
| Event | Props | Division | Athlete(s) | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5K 3-ball | 3 | WO | Gabrielle Foran | 19:29.67 | New World Record |
| 400 meter 3-ball | 3 | G12 | Rebecca Moore | 1:28.47 | New Division Record |
| 800 meter 3-ball | 3 | G12 | Rebecca Moore | 3:50.18 | New Division Record |
| 4 x 100 meter 3-ball | 3 | G17 | Steve and the hippos | 1:15.88 | New World Record |
Divisions: G12 - Girls 12-and-Under, G17 - Girls 13-to-17, WO - Women's Open, WM - Women's Masters
2016 World Joggling Championships
This event was held in El Paso, Texas.
| Event | Props | Division | Athlete(s) | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 meter 5 ball | 5 | B12 | Bennett Santora | 28.88 | New Division Record |
| 100 meter 7 ball | 7 | B12 | Bennett Santora | 3:19.44 | New Division Record |
| 800 meter 3 ball | 3 | B12 | Bennett Santora | 5:01.75 | New Division Record |
Divisions: B12 - Boys 12-and-Under, B17 - Boys 13-to-17, MO - Men's Open, MM - Men's Masters
| Event | Props | Division | Athlete(s) | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 400 meter 3 ball | 3 | WO | Gabrielle Foran | 1:13.85 | New World Record |
| 1 mile 3 ball | 3 | WO | Gabrielle Foran | 5:40 | New World Record |
Divisions: WO - Women's Open, WM - Women's Masters, Mixed - Mixed Men and Women (Relay)
2015 World Joggling Championships
This competition took place in Québec City, Québec, Canada.
| Distance | Prop number | Participant | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 meter | 3 | Matan Presberg | 13.16 |
| 400 meter | 5 | Ben Thompson | 1:44.28 (IJA Road Race Record) |
| Distance | Prop number | Participant | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 400 meter | 3 | Gabrielle Foran | 1:15.47 (IJA Road Race Record) |
| 800 meter | 3 | Gabrielle Foran | 2:39.66 (IJA Road Race Record) |
| 1600 meter | 3 | Gabrielle Foran | 5:25 (IJA Road Race Record) |
2014 World Joggling Championships
Held at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
| Distance | Prop number | Participant | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 meter | 3 | Jared Janssen | 13.9 |
| 400 meter | 5 | Nicholas Thomas | 2:04.2 (#1 all time championship performance) |
| Distance | Prop number | Participant | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 meter | 5 | Delaney Bayles | 29.9 (#1 all time, New World Record) |
| 100 meter | 7 | Delaney Bayles | 1:52.7 (#1 all time, New World Record) |
| 400 meter | 3 | Gabrielle Foran | 1:16.6 (#1 all time, New World Record) |
| 400 meter | 5 | Delaney Bayles | 2:33.3 (#1 all time, New World Record) |
| 800 meter | 3 | Gabrielle Foran | 2:41.9 (#1 all time, New World Record) |
| 1600 meter | 3 | Gabrielle Foran | 5:51.6 (#1 all time, New World Record) |
2013 World Joggling Championships
This event took place at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.
| Distance | Prop number | Participant | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 meter | 7 | Thomas Dietz | 0:53.6 (#1 all time, New World Record) |
| 400 meter | 3 | Eric Walter | 0:55.8 (#1 all time, New World Record) |
| Distance | Prop number | Participant | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1600 meter | 3 | Gabrielle Foran | 5:58 (#1 all time, New World Record) |
2012 World Joggling Championships
Held in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
| Distance | Prop number | Participant | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 meter | 3 | Albert Lucas | 14.1 |
| 400 meter | 5 | Jack Denger | 2:25.4 (#1 all time championships performance) |
2011 World Joggling Championships
Held in Rochester, Minnesota, with hot and windy conditions.
| Distance | Prop number | Participant | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 400 meter | 3 ball | Eric Walter | 57.66 (IJA CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD – first person to break 1 minute) |
| 800 meter | 3 ball | Eric Walter | 2:13.24 (IJA CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD / IJA WORLD RECORD) |
| 4 x 100 Relay | 3 ball | Chris Lovdal, Eric Walter, Tyler Wishau, Charles Schweitzer | 55.82 (IJA CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD / IJA WORLD RECORD) |
| Distance | Prop number | Participant | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 meter | 3 ball | Trish Evans | 31.83 (IJA CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD / IJA WORLD RECORD) |
| 800 meter | 3 ball | Trish Evans | 2:44.73 (IJA CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD / IJA WORLD RECORD) |
| 5k | 3 ball | Trish Evans | 21:46.28 (IJA CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD / IJA WORLD RECORD) |
2010 World Joggling Championships
Results from Sparks, Nevada.
| Prop number | Distance | Participant | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 ball | 100 meters | Lauge Benjaminsen | 58.4 |
2009 World Joggling Championships
| Prop number | Distance | Participant | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Ball | 100 Meter | David Ferman | 13.9 |
2008 World Joggling Championships
| Prop number | Distance | Participant | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Ball | 1600 Meter | Lenny Ferman | 5:40 |
Other Joggling Events
Albert Lucas has organized other joggling races. One was an exhibition race at the 2001 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. Lucas has also joggled entire marathons. He has even joggled over hurdle courses!
World Records in Joggling
Here are some of the fastest joggling times ever recorded:
| Distance (meters) | Prop number | Participant | Time | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 3 | Mark Fiore | 8.28 | 2019 |
| 100 | 3 | Owen Morse | 11.68 | 1989 |
| 100 | 5 | Matthew Feldman | 13.3 | 2018 |
| 100 | 7 | Thomas Dietz | 53.6 | 2013 |
| 400 | 3 | Eric Walter | 55.8 | 2013 |
| 5k | 3 | Michael-Lucien Bergeron | 16:50 | 2020 |
| Marathon | 3 | Michal Kapral | 2:50:12 | 2007 |
| Distance (meters) | Prop number | Participant | Time | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 3 | Lana Bolin | 9.98 | 2001 |
| 100 | 5 | Delaney Bayles | 29.9 | 2014 |
| 400 | 3 | Gabrielle Foran | 1:14 | 2016 |
| 5k | 3 | Gabrielle Foran | 18:12 | 2015 |
The record for the fastest marathon while juggling has been a close battle. Canadian Michal Kapral and American Zach Warren have often competed for it.
| Time | Date | Location | Participant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:50:12 | September 2007 | Toronto | Michal Kapral (Canada) |
| 2:52:15 | November 2006 | Philadelphia | Zach Warren (USA) |
| 2:57:39 | September 2006 | Toronto | Michal Kapral (Canada) |
| 2:58:23 | April 2006 | Boston | Zach Warren (USA) |
At one time, Albert Lucas held two records at once. He had the record for juggling the "Most Objects." He also had the record for the "Fastest Marathon While Juggling."
