Triathlete sets a 5K world record on crutches

Jesse Thomas, co-founder of Picky Bars, triathlete and husband to running legend Lauren Fleshman, set an unofficial world record for 5K run on crutches on May 5th in 32:43 during the Wings for Life run for spinal cord research. That’s five 6:32 kilometres with only one foot available.

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Made it! And maybe an unofficial 5k Crutch World Record (32:43)? Hahaha. Gonna be sore for sure (I already am) but had some fun doing something a little different / crazy / kinda dumb for a cool cause. Thanks @wflworldrun for having me. Thanks @aaronlutze for the company and camera work! This one will certainly stick out in my “racing” memories! #lifepoints p.s. You can still donate to fund spinal cord research at the link in my profile!

A post shared by Jesse Thomas (@jessemthomas) on May 5, 2019 at 11:32am PDT

Related: Pro triathlete wins the Portland 1/2 Marathon

Thomas is dealing with a fracture of his navicular (one of the bones in the midfoot) and can’t currently run. His 5K was in support of the Wings for Life virtual app run, in which thousands of people around the world came together for the annual Wings for Life run, either physically or virtually. Starting at 7:00 a.m. EDT, runners in seven countries simultaneously ran 5K using the Wings for Life virtual run app to raise money for the foundation, which funds research into spinal cord injuries.

The previous 5K crutching record was held by Derrick Hamel at 32:55 and was set on April 22, 2016.

Thomas tweeted post-race, “Definitely up there on my different/crazy/dumb ideas and gonna be really sore, but happy to finish.”

This story first appeared on Canadian Running Magazine.