Missouri man knits 12-foot scarf during marathon

Some runners carry gels or a water bottle during a marathon.

Missourian David Babcock carried balls of yarn.

While Guinness World Records were falling in Toronto over the weekend, a man in Kansas City broke the Guinness World Record for the longest scarf knitted during a marathon.

Babcock, a graphic design professor at the University of Central Missouri, knitted a 3.7m long scarf while competing in the Kansas City Marathon, long enough for the record.

The previous record was held by Susie Hewer of the UK, who knitted a 1.6m scarf during the London Marathon in 2008. Hewer ran her races to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association and Babcock decided to also raise money for the association during his record attempt.

Babcock not only knitted more scarf, but did it all in less time. He finished the run in 5:48:27, a few minutes under Hewer’s 2008 time of 5:55:03.

Babcock told local news outlets that he used seven full balls of yarn for the scarf, more than anticipated.