FORT WORTH, Texas — A Texas man set a course record and a potential world mark when he completed the half marathon at an event in Fort Worth on Sunday -- while wearing handcuffs.
TaMar Hicks, of Grand Prairie, had an unofficial time of 1 hour, 20 minutes, 36 seconds during the half marathon run at the 46th annual Cowtown Marathon, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
Hicks, 29, is going to submit his time to the Guinness World Records for verification.
Yes, there is an entry for running a half marathon in handcuffs, according to Guinness. That record is currently held by Boudewijn Dominicus, who set the mark in 2018 at the Manchester Half Marathon in the United Kingdom.
Dominicus’ time of 1:25.19 was set on Oct. 14, 2018, according to Guinness World Records.
It was Hicks’ second attempt to set the record, and the first time he tried it while running in the Cowtown Marathon, the Star-Telegram reported.
“The first time I did it, I just think I, you know, kind of ate up more than I could chew,” Hicks told the newspaper. “I wasn’t in shape like I should be, so I really, I really started running a lot more.”
Hicks is no stranger to running. He competed in track and field at Lamar University, graduating in 2017. He later earned his doctorate in pharmacy at Texas Southern University in 2023, according to his LinkedIn page.
But despite excelling in sprint events, Hicks had to readjust when running with handcuffs. He trained by running 200 miles per month, the Star-Telegram reported.
“I think the difference is, like, you, like, a little, like everything was in my legs. I really couldn’t use arms at all and that’s kind of weird,” Hicks told the newspaper. “If I could break this record, I could prove to myself and to everyone else that really, no matter how chained down you feel to your negative thoughts or your past circumstances, “you’re gonna always be able to overcome them.”
Texas native sets Guinness world record at 2024 Cowtown Marathon https://t.co/FyhNc6wamR
— Fort Worth Star-Telegram (@startelegram) February 25, 2024
Hicks not only reached his goal but also set a personal best time, KTVT reported. If his time is verified, Hicks will have shaved nearly five minutes off the official world record.
“I was thinking about all the people that were looking for me to break it, so I did it for them,” Hicks told the television station.
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