Sliding his way to a world record?

Press, 25 November 1982, Page 2

Sliding his way to a world record?

A former Christchurch life-saver, Mr Greg McClurg (pictured), took six hours 45 minutes to slide his way into a possible world record yesterday. His hydroslide marathon to raise funds for the Multiple Sclerosis society started at The Queen Elizabeth II Park pool at 6.20 a.m. When he stopped 218 trips later, Mr McClurg, aged 36, had scraped knees and the satisfaction of knowing he had outlasted a simultaneous challenge by a San Francisco announcer to claim the first hydrosliding record in the “Guinness Book of Records.” Two scrutineers were on hand to endorse the New Zealand attempt.

“So many people thought it was crazy but I surprised myself and them,” he said. Two training slides and climbing the stairs at work were his only preparation.

Clad in rugby shorts and a T-shirt, Mr McClurg reached his 200-trip goal at 11.45 a.m., well inside the eight hours he had allowed with a fiveminute break each hour. "The last five were a real struggle,” he said. Shortly before lunchtime he developed leg cramps but kept going until 1.05 p.m. in spite of a telephone call to the United States which confirmed that Mike Hegedus, a last-miunute replacement for the original challenger from a San Francisco Television station, had stopped after 138 trips on a Californian hydroslide. Radio 3ZB raised about $lBOO in telephone pledges while the attempt was going on, and this will go to the Multiple Sclerosis Society.