David Babcock, a professor at the University of Central Missouri, chose to create less boring small talk in the future by knitting a giant scarf as he ran the Kansas City Marathon. And he isn't the first person to do this, apparently.
Babcock finished the marathon in 5:48:27; his 30-stitch wide scarf measured at 12 feet, 1 3/4 inches. For those wondering about the Final Destination nightmare of falling down while knitting, Babcock used plastic needles during the race.
From the Kansas City Star:
Except for one fall early in his knitting-while-running career, when he didn’t notice a pothole, Babcock hasn’t had any mishaps running with needles.
“I have a very smooth gait,” he said.
Babcock's record will be verified by an official, but if his scarf holds up, he will have shattered the previous marathonitting—does that work? No?—Guinness record set this past April by the United Kingdom's Susie Hewer, who knitted a six-foot-nine scarf during the Flora London Marathon. Damn, Susie. David Babcock took you to scarf knitting marathon school.
You can see some photos of Babcock in action at the Kansas City Star.