Edmonton man in Australia sets Guinness record for fastest run on sand in snowshoes

No snow, no problem. 

Edmontonian Nick Akers decided to strap on snowshoes and run a kilometre on the sand in an attempt to set a Guinness world record in Darwin, Australia.

He managed to complete the one-kilometre run in five minutes and 41 seconds at Mindil Beach on May 22.

"It's fairly unique but it might catch on," the 65-year-old told CBC's Edmonton AM on Tuesday. "And I think they'll call it sandshoeing."

The snowshoeing caper was clearly foreign to Australia's locals, but Akers said they quickly warmed to the idea.

"They're a great bunch," he said. "They really embraced the fact that you've got a Canadian trying to break a world record in snowshoeing."

The climate alone wasn't the obstacle — he said it was around 35 C — it was also making sure the tide was low enough to have compact sand, and avoiding crocodiles and box jellyfish. 

"You have to find the lay of the land just to make sure that you're getting the best course possible," he said. 

Akers found a suitable stretch, sketched his route and did four laps of a 250-metre loop. 

"It was perfect," he said. 

Guinness World Records has confirmed the feat on its website, noting: "Nick is a snowshoe athlete who has achieved many running feats throughout his life, he can now add another Guinness World Records title to his list of achievements." 

Akers' instinct about the activity catching on was right.

"My nephew down in Sydney said, 'Send me the snowshoes because I want to take a crack at that too,' and a couple of the local runners said, 'I can beat that time.'"

He figures their biggest challenge will be getting their hands on snowshoes in Australia. His own experience getting them mailed had raised some eyebrows.

"Border customs intervened and took a close look at them and drilled a couple of holes in them just to make sure there's no contraband," he said.

Akers' previous world record for snowshoeing — on snow that time — was in 1991. 

This time, he had been in Australia for about 18 months on a work contract. His decision to try for another world record was prompted by a request from his son as well as his own desire to leave a mark in the country before he left. 

"And what better way than dusting off the snowshoes from Canada ... strapping them on and just proving that 65 is still good enough for a Guinness World Record."