A Twin Cities Realtor will attempt to set a world record Saturday for the longest continuous racquetball game in order to raise money for an international nonprofit.
Brennan Bailey, 22, from Chehalis, in combination with Brad Green, 20, Redmond, will attempt to set the Guinness World Record with a 24-hour racquetball game. Bailey, who is the managing broker at Vistas Northwest Real Estate in Chehalis, said the event will act as a fundraiser for Kiva, an international nonprofit that provides loans to individuals around the world in an attempt to better their lives.
In the past, the Brennan Bailey Foundation, an organization he founded in November 2010, raised money for local causes to help out families and individuals throughout Lewis County who were in need, he said. This time he wanted to give to a more international organization.
Bailey said he has always had a goal of setting a world record, but didn't know what record he wanted to set until one day he was playing racquetball, which had been a hobby of Bailey's for several years, and thought of it.
Since there is no previous racquetball marathon record he said he had to submit a proposal to the Guinness Book of World Records for approval, a process that took several weeks.
Their plan for completing the 24-hour marathon is lots of water and PowerBars, Bailey said.
"The strongest motivation is that we told people we're gonna do it," he said. "We'd look like fools if we didn't finish."
Bailey and his partner are allowed five minute breaks for every hour of racquetball, and Bailey said the key to continuing playing was not to sit down during breaks.
"During practice when we would sit down, we'd get tired," he said. "It was hard to get up again and continue playing."
Bailey said they have been training for the marathon for about eight months. Their efforts focused mostly on getting in shape. They also trained by playing racquetball in three or four hour-long sessions.
Bailey said they are currently seeking donations as well as volunteers to act as witnesses and timekeepers in the event. Their goal for this event is to raise $5,000, and Bailey said they are about a third of the way there.
The racquetball marathon will take place at Thorbeckes FitLife in Centralia, and will run from 1 p.m. this Saturday to 1 p.m. on Sunday. Bailey said he expects more people to donate to the cause rather than attend, but he hopes people will show up for the last hour of the event to cheer them on.
Anyone interested in volunteering or donating can contact Bailey at brennanbailey@hotmail.com or at (360) 296-6129.
