World’s Fastest Skipper

Ashrita Furman is the fastest skipper in the world. He holds more Guinness World Records than anyone and two of them are skipping related.

In August of 2003, he set the record for skipping the fastest marathon (26.2 miles) in 5 hours 55 min 13 sec in Canada. Then in February 07, Ashrita  set the world record for skipping the fastest 5K in 35 minutes and 19 seconds…and he did it in a most unusual way. Here’s his first person account:

Well, it’s been a wild journey! I broke the 5K skipping record on Sunday by skipping the distance in 35 minutes and 19 seconds. The time was disappointing but I lost at least 4 or 5 minutes because of a tiger!

i did the record at a place called the Tiger Temple in Thailand where monks allow people to walk with a tiger. So i decided to skip with one! The monastery people were a little worried because they thought the skipping might remind the tiger of an injured animal and provoke him to attack me. But I skipped the first 100 meters with the tiger (on a leash) with no problems, then speeded up by myself and finally tried to do the last 100 meters with the tiger. Unfortunately, the big fellow thought he was going to be put back in his cage and he was moving really slowly. After 75 meters I got impatient, handed the leash to one of the handlers, and skipped to the finish line. That was a foolish thing to do! The tiger saw me rushing away and instinctively went into his attack mode. It took 4 handlers to restrain him!

Overall, it was a great adventure and sInce Reuters Press Agency was there, the story went worldwide. Later in the year, I plan to try again (with no animals) and do a better time. I just love the skipping! Thanks for all your encouragement.  All the best, Ashrita

Skip on, Ashrita!

Real Men Skip

I recently received this question via email:

Recently I started doing skipping. But few of my friends told me that it’s not good for gents. It’s only for ladies. Kindly let me know.

And here’s my reply…

Your friends are wrong. Skipping is for everyone.

It is true that most men have a harder time breaking through unspoken cultural rules to skip. But the brave ones who feel inspired to skip do it anyway. And they do it well. A man named Ashrita Furman recent sent a Guinness World Record for skipping the fastest 5K.

So don’t let your friends stop you! Skip loud and skip proud!

faq

What do you mean skipping? You know….SKIPPING! The hippity hoppity gate that came naturally to us as children, but that the majority of adults haven’t done since they were ten…SKIPPING! Like Dorothy and gang did arm in arm down the yellow brick road….SKIPPING! As in expressing joy by leaping happily down the street without a care in the world.

How long do you skip at a time? That really depends on the person and the situation.  Often when people start running, they throw up their hands in frustration or don’t even get started when a mile seems like an unattainable goal. With skipping, there are no rules or expectations. In fact, often the best skipping moments happen completely spontaneously in the moment and for relatively short periods of time. On the other hand, a man named Ashrita Furman recently started skipping marathons and regularly skips for 10+ miles at a time!!

Often skippers will walk a block, skip a block, and run a block repetitively….or just one block of skipping to their walking routine to get started. And some skippers just skip a few steps at a time to lift their mood…A great place to skip is down the aisle of the grocery store. Try it, it’s fun!

Don’t people think you are crazy? Some people do. But even more people smile and nod appreciatively or say things like, “Wow, that looks fun!”  You’d also be surprised how many people never even look twice….Once you get out there and start skipping, you’ll likely realize that most people react either positively or indifferently…And as for the people who do think that skipping is crazy….Which do you think is crazier in this world of ours? Adding joy and positivity to the world by skipping…Or squelching someones desire to do so through judgement and negativity? Our world needs as much positive and uplifting energy as it can get these days. So skip loud and skip proud.

Are there different types of skipping? Everyone has their own unique skipping style. There are fast skippers, bouncy skippers, and sassy skippers…Just to name a few. There are also ways you can modify your natural skipping style.

Most beginning skippers put a lot of bounce into their skips, but quickly discover that doing so takes a lot of energy. An alternative is a lower impact skip which is much slower and lower to the ground. If you want to burn more calories, you can skip aster and/or higher. A close cousin of skipping is galloping. hen you gallop you don’t switch back and forth from leg to leg.

Some skippers also make up fun skipping variations…Like the butterfly skip where you flap your arms like a butterfly…Or the chicken skip where you act like chicken…There’s the twirling skip…The backwards skip…The sideways skip…The air guitar skip…The sky is the limit as far as making up fun and silly skipping methods!

What is the purpose of the skipping movement? We are online community of individuals who love to skip. We believe that today’s world needs as much positive skipping energy as possible.  That is why we are on a mission to share the joy and freedom of skipping with young and old alike. While we might be few in number, we are big in spirit. “Head Skippers” from across the country have shared the joy of skipping in their areas and continue to do so. We believe that skipping is a simple, yet powerful way to make our communities happier and healthier places…and that the world will be a better place when there are more adult skippers.

How did this movement get started? When San Franciscan Kim Corbin started skipping for exercise she loved it so much that she decided to try to start a national movement. She started organizing group skips in San Francisco and before long the media caught wind of her vision. Once newspapers across the country started telling her story, Kim realized that she wasn’t alone….That there were already a lot of people just like her who also loved to skip. A network of skippers quickly formed across the country and the movement was off and skipping.

What are some things that skippers have done to spread the word? A skipper in Oklahoma traveled to schools in his community to share the joy of skipping with school children and got the Governor to proclaim him the state’s official skipping ambassador…Ashrita Furman is skipping marathons to set a Guinness Book of World Record’s record….The Lima, Ohio skipper has a license plate that says, “iskip”…A man named Jeff Lester produced an incredible short film starring Billy Bob Thorton that is about skipping…There have been group skipping events in several major cities…and teachers have created curriculum based on the positive energy that skipping creates! There is an unlimited number of ways to promote skipping!!!

What are the benefits of skipping? The thing that is unique about skipping is that it has multiple benefits…..Some people skip for the undeniable fitness gains…Some just skip a few steps to lift their moods…and others to reconnect with their buoyant, exuberant childlike spirit. Skipping is great for the body, mind, and spirit!

What are the physical benefits? Skipping is great exercise! It burns twice as many calories as walking ..It has less impact on your joints than running….and it is joy-based, unlike running which generates from our fight or flight reflex. Skipping is more like an animal bouncing and frolicking in a field. It’s a playful way to add variety and fun to your workouts.

What are the mental benefits? Skipping is an instant mood lifter. The next time you are feeling down, try skipping just ten steps. Keep in mind that the times you feel like skipping the least are likely the times that you need it the most. Skipping is joyful, light, and free, which are all things that contribute to a positive attitude and feeling great! It is virtually impossible to skip without smiling!

Skipping also helps you to be true to yourself. Skipping down the road is something that is surprisingly challenging for most adults to do. In order to do so, you must be willing to let go of your fears about what other people think about you. You must defeat your own inner critic that says “People will think you are crazy” and choose to let your childlike spirit have some fun. If you can find the courage to do so regularly, you will be amazed at the feeling of freedom it can bring to your life. When the judgment of others is no longer an issue, magical things can happen.

How can I get involved? The easiest way to get involved is to start skipping whenever you can. When you’re out with a group of friends see how many people are willing to give it a try. Write and tell us about your experience so we can share it with others in the skipping newsletter. Start talking about skipping as it makes great conversation at parties. Skip with your kids. Tell your friends and family about iskip.com. Ask your aerobics instructor if she’ll incorporate skipping into your class.

Iskip.com belongs to skippers everywhere. Take ownership of the idea and spread the word!!

about iSkip

iSkip.com is the home of the worldwide skipping movement. We celebrate all things skipping.

San Francisco’s Kim Corbin created the website in the spring of 1999 when she became so inspired after skipping for the first time as an adult that she decided to invite the rest of the world to join her.

She began organizing regular group skipping events. and in July 1999 the San Francisco Chronicle wrote a feature article about her efforts called, “She’d Like to Teach the World to Skip.” That set off an unprecedented flurry of national media attention: Time, Newsweek, People, USA Today, the BBC, CNN, and more all did stories about Kim’s efforts.

As skippers from around the world heard the news and began contacting Kim, she quickly realized she was not alone in her love for skipping. Free spirits from all walks of life and in all shapes and sizes began contacting her through the website.  Some had been skipping for years. Others were just finding the courage to give it a go again as adults.

Much to Kim’s surprise, the fitness community also took her skipping idea quite seriously. Shape, Fitness, and Sports Illustrated for Women all told the story. Prevention Magazine researched the benefits of skipping and wrote a highly favorable article about the benefits of adding a skip to our steps. There’s no doubt about it — skipping is good for the body, mind, and soul!

Completely consumed by her passion for skipping, Corbin quit her corporate job in January 2000 to pursue her dream full time. She poured her heart and soul into her vision, recruiting head skippers in as many as 60 cities and attempting to start a writing and speaking career. Unfortunately, Corbin ultimately skipped herself into financial ruin. She would spend the next several years doing her best to skip gingerly through the shards of her broken dream.

The skip went on. A skipper named Ashrita Furman established himself as the fastest skipper in the world by setting Guinness records for the fastest times in a 5K and a marathon. A radical skipper named Extreme Gene fathered “extreme skipping” in the United States and pro skateboarder turned skipper Tommy Fox got sponsorship for his skipping efforts in Australia. That started off a flurry of skipping related videos on YouTube. The skipping movement has a life of its own.

Now, ten years later, Corbin’s passion for skipping is alive and well. Her own skipping life has become more of a personal spiritual practice than the evangelical mission that it once was, but she continues to celebrate and honor the efforts of passionate skippers everywhere through this website.  “iSkip.com belongs to all of the skippers of the world,” says Kim. “I invite you to take the idea and skip as far as you can with it!”

If you’d like to get involved with the world wide skipping movement, check out the Get Involved section of the website for fun and creative ways you can contribute more positive energy to the world through skipping. And if you feel so inspired, please share your skipping experiences with us through words, pictures, or video!   We would love to help share your personal skipping story with the world.