In 2008 Stefaan Engels set a record for the first time. During his Energy World Tour he resolutely wanted to set a world record, i.e. completing the greatest number of long-distance triathlons in a year's time (swimming for 3.8 km, biking for 180 km and running for 42 km). The record was set at 14, so he initially aimed to complete 15. However, because an American also aimed to break the record, he eventually completed 20 of them. At the end of November, after an incredible year (including a trip around the world), it was time to uncork the champagne. The record brought him in all the newspapers, many magazines and a couple of TV shows.
Twenty triathlons amounted to a total of 76 km of swimming, 3600 km of biking and 843.6 km of running:
- 02/12/2007 Australia Busselton 10:34:23
- 23/02/2008 Malaysia Langkawi 12:42:15
- 01/03/2008 New Zealand Taupo 14:20:27
- 06/04/2008 Australia Port-Macquarie 12:27:24
- 13/04/2008 South Africa Port Elisabeth 11:15:34
- 20/04/2008 China Haikou 14:39:15
- 24/05/2008 Canary Islands Lanzarote 11:51:55
- 15/06/2008 Germany Moritzburg 10:36:41
- 22/06/2008 France Nice 12:43:38
- 06/07/2008 Germany Frankfurt 10:53:32
- 13/07/2008 Austria Klagenfurt 10:57:41
- 20/07/2008 USA Lake Placid 11:25:16
- 02/08/2008 Sweden Kalmar 10:59:53
- 09/08/2008 Czech Republic Zeleznak 12:24:00
- 24/08/2008 Canada Penticton 13:03:50
- 31/08/2008 The Netherlands Almere 11:17:42
- 07/09/2008 Great Britain Sherborne 12:11:51
- 05/10/2008 Italy Elba 12:57:37
- 03/11/2008 USA Florida 12:10:14 23/11/2008 USA Arizona 11:24:25
Was the Energy World Tour foolishness?
Not according to Mensana. Mensana is the centre for medically responsible sports practice, which followed Stefaan during the entire period. They were allowed to step in if the test values were to drop dangerously. But that was never necessary. Stefaan appeared to register relatively stable values and he had an exceptional recovery capacity. As opposed to professional triathletes who are giving their all in 1 triathlon, he completed the competitions without having to push his limits too much. In the past few months, the intervals in between competitions have been used nearly exclusively to rest and recover.
Meanwhile, the Energy Tour has also been documented on in a book.
'Yes, I can' is the story of a really crazy idea that turned into a world record. Full of humor, desperation and melancholy Stefaan looks back on the year when the power of change propelled him across the globe. However, there is also another side to the book. 'Yes, you can' is the story that he has always wanted to share with everybody: 'It is never too late to change your life by taking up a challenge in sports. 'Yes, you can' is an ideal manual for beginning sports practitioners.
For more info and to order: www.yes-i-can.be
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