Man Sets Record for Crossing Ireland on Unicycle
In 2020, when Eamonn Keaveney heard there was no record for the fastest crossing of Ireland by unicycle, he thought it sounded like "a perfect mix of daunting and ridiculous."
So, naturally, he decided to try to set the record himself.
And now the Irishman has done it. He traveled from Mizen Head, the southernmost point in Ireland, to Malin Head, the northernmost point, in a time of five days, five hours and 23 minutes.
He cycled 613 kilometers and raised nearly $6,500 for the Simon Communities of Ireland, a charity that helps homeless people in the country.
Keaveney had never ridden a unicycle before deciding to try to set the record. He spent a few weeks learning, and then practiced until he could do over 100 kilometers in a day.
Although there was no previous record, Keaveney was told he had to finish the journey in under six days.
According to Guinness World Records, Keaveney cycled 12 hours each day, taking small breaks along the way. A friend joined him on the trip, to carry his things and post on social media.
It wasn't easy. Keaveney said the bicycle seat was very uncomfortable, and a badly swollen ankle made cycling feel "like torture." He couldn't walk well for two weeks after he finished his journey, he said.
But it was all worth it once he arrived in Malin Head.
"It's amazing to be able to say to myself that I actually managed to do it," he said.
This isn't Keaveney's first world record. In 2016, he completed the world's longest barefoot journey of 2,080 kilometers, and two years later he climbed 10 mountains barefoot in 10 days.
