When Ashrita Furman was growing up in Queens, New York, he was more brainy than brawny. He was the junior high valedictorian who excelled in school but never in sports.
But today, at age 62, he's the picture of athletic prowess. He can ride a unicycle while juggling, walk around with a lawnmower balanced on his chin, and jump on a pogo stick for hours. In an interesting turn of events, Ashrita Furman has become something of a super athlete — all in the name of breaking as many Guinness World Records as possible.
"I had been a fan of the Guinness since I was a kid," he told INSIDER. "I used to carry it around with me. But I never lost that — being enamored of the book. I just love that idea of being the best in the world at something — and not as an ego thing, but as a goal to attain."
Furman broke his first record in 1979, and now estimates he's broken around 630 of them since. He still holds about 207 of those records — including the world record for holding the most world records, of course.
Here's a look at how — and why — Furman turned record-breaking into a lifelong pursuit.
Meet Ashrita Furman: a 62-year-old health food store manager from Queens who's broken more than 600 world records.
His records run the gamut from the awe-inspiring to the just plain weird. He has pogo-sticked up a mountain, run a marathon while juggling, and pushed an orange with his nose for one mile.
A few more notable records he currently holds: Most beer bottles opened by chainsaw in one minute (24), most jelly eaten with chopsticks in one minute (1 pound, 7.95 ounces), farthest distance to blow a coin (16 feet, 2.76 inches), and fastest mile on pogo stick while juggling (23 minutes, 28 seconds).
Source: Ashrita Furman
And he's got a taste for daring stunts, too. For example: Extinguishing blowtorches with nothing but his tongue.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/zl_2HoDatnI
Width: 800px
Height: 450px
See the rest of the story at Business Insider