An Iowa man is hoping his speedy wheelbarrow drive will result in an official Guinness World Record.
John Loghry, of Saylorville, drove his wheelbarrow in a Mitchellville street on Saturday, Sept. 21, at a speed of 57 mph, according to local outlets KCCI, WOI and WHO. According to the outlets, that should be fast enough to break the previous Guinness World record of 52.58 mph set this past May by Dylan Phillips of Great Britain.
Loghry, a retiree, told WHO he was looking to fill up his time and get out of his house when he heard about the record for the fastest motorized wheelbarrow.
“I was out there just tinkering with stuff, and I made a motorized wheelbarrow. I wondered how fast it could go and I wondered if there was a record,” Loghry said. “Sure enough there’s a world record. I couldn’t believe it; I thought I was the only one who could think of something like that.”
“He’s been very determined on doing it, and there’s a lot of steps that he didn’t anticipate,” Loghry’s wife, Jeanne, told WOIA about her husband. “To see him go through all of those steps and still be able to do it, that’s great.”
When contacted , a representative of Guinness World Records said on Tuesday, Sept. 24, that the organization did receive an application and is looking forward to receiving evidence for review.
“Applying is free” the rep explains, “and once someone applies, our amazing team of record specialists send the official guidelines (a.k.a., the rules) and let them know what evidence (a.k.a., proof) is needed. We review everything within 12-15 weeks and let them know if they’ve made history!”
According to a GoFundMe he established, Loghry said he put a lawnmower engine on a wheelbarrow that he had designed, later adding: “I knew I could beat that record with this thing.”
Loghry, who said he is a Vietnam War veteran, also wrote in the GoFundMe description that after he first applied for the record, he learned — via the organization’s rules — that his speed has to be clocked by a Lidar gun and measured in kilometers per hour, not miles per hour.
“After reaching out to my county sheriff’s, the state patrol, and city police, along with all the local racetracks, baseball clubs, and car clubs, I came up empty-handed,” said Loghry, who hoped to use any funds raised to purchase the necessary radar gun.
However, per WOI, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office assisted Loghry in his attempt to break the world record on Sept. 22.
Loghry went on to tell WHO that he hoped his efforts will motivate others to reach their goals.
“If you think you can do it, try it,” he told the outlet. “I’m living proof you can do it. That’s all I can say on that. Just do it.”
