This past Sunday, 112 linked runners crossed the finish line together at the Calgary Marathon, unofficially breaking the Guinness World Record for the “most runners linked to complete a marathon.” (The group’s application to make it official likely won’t be processed for another couple months.)

RELATED: This World-Record Attempt Requires 150 People to Synchronize Their Bathroom Breaks

“There were ups and downs, and a few points where it could not have happened,” Blaine Penny, ambassador for MitoCanada (the charity that backed the attempt), told Runner’s World by phone. “But when they crossed the finish line, I was so relieved. I felt such a sense of responsibility for their success or failure—like a parent with 112 kids.”

Gord MacPherson

The (only) three pre-planned bathroom breaks weren’t a problem: Each 15-minute pit stop went according to plan, and, somehow, no runners needed to make an extra stop in between.

However, there were three major issues, Penny said: The group had 12 first-time marathoners, and at the 15K (9.3-mile) mark, one was already struggling. The group adjusted the pace and started to incorporate walk breaks. Then, at the last potty stop, Penny noticed a group dumping water on one runner: It was a warm day with a high of 72 degrees, and the runner received medical attention so he could stay cool enough to finish safely. Finally, with the finish line in sight, the group had to stop twice to accommodate cramping runners. Still, the group crossed the line in 6:24:56.

Even though they’d hoped to run with 150 linked runners, Penny said he is almost relieved they couldn’t find that many: “It was a lofty goal, and I think if we would have had 150, we probably wouldn’t have completed the race within the course timeframe (6:30),” Penny said.

MitoCanada sponsored another Guinness World Record at the Calgary Marathon that day, too, with 10 women linked for the “fastest marathon by a linked team (female)” record. They finished in 3:28.

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