Edited by Rachel Heung
Robbie Balenger is a vegan athlete who is known for his running accomplishments. Including the central park loop challenge, the colorado crush, and the trans con.
The 75 day running challenge:
Balenger was the 330th person to run across the United States on a vegan diet. He was able to cover the 3,200 miles in 75 days without any protein/ nutrients provided by animal products. This proves that being on a vegan diet doesn’t mean that you can’t be an athlete to be as successful.
On the 19th of March, 2019, he started his journey from Huntington Beach California, until Central Park in New York City.
The central park loop challenge:
It (as the name suggests) took place in central park, New York City. The challenge was to run the most amount of loops around Central park in NYC from its opening to close time, which are 6:00a.m. to 1 a.m. the next day (19 hours). This is a challenge to test one’s endurance in running. Moreover, what makes it so difficult is the length of the loop. One loop around Central Park is 10km long, with up to 300 feet (approximately 91.4meters) of elevation gain.
Robbie took this challenge on the 20th of March, 2021 and set a new record of 16 laps in 18 hours and 7 minutes.
Robbie’s comment on this challenge:
“On March 20th, I set out to break the FKT for the Central Park Loop Challenge, fully supported.
I started running at 06:05am from Tavern on the Green, where I set up my crew and aid station. I proceeded to run 16 loops on the standard route, in a counterclockwise direction. Various friends joined me for some loops as pacers. I received aid after the completion of each loop.
Weather was perfect, highs in the upper 50’s, lows in the mid-30’s. Sun was out, and the people watching were fantastic. I completed Loop 16 at 12:12am on March 21st, with a total mileage of 98.49 miles in 18 hrs 7 mins and 43 seconds.”
Bibliography
Central Park Loop. (n.d.). ROBBIE BALENGER. Retrieved October 31, 2021, from
https://www.robbiebalenger.com/centralparkloopLandsverk,
G. (2021, May 18). A vegan athlete who ran 100 miles around Central Park in under 24
hours said a plant-based diet is his “superpower.” Insider. Retrieved October 31, 2021,
from https://www.google.com.hk/amp/s/www.insider.com/vegan-athlete-robbie-
balenger-ran-100-miles-day-diet-superpower-2021-5%3famp
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