Impossibility Challenger 2018 in Portugal

Impossibility Challenger is a festival dedicated to pushing the limits of human possibility and achievement. The event was founded in 1982 by Sri Chinmoy and this year's (2018) edition was recently held in Leiria, Portugal. The event was organised by a team of volunteers from the Portuguese Sri Chinmoy Centres who welcomed participants from around the globe. During the event new personal, national and world records were set, ranging from long-distance swimming and one-handed clapping to successfully reciting poems.

Impossibility Challenger is open to anyone who wishes to try and set a world record or personal best in any non-Olympic discipline. Participants are free to tackle existing records and also create their own unique personal challenge.

The spirit of the event is to encourage individual self-transcendence in a joyful and supportive environment. It is a non-commercial event with participants motivated by the wish to challenge themselves and inspire others through their own unique ways. The event welcomes participants from all over the world and a diverse range of backgrounds.

Highlight from 2018 edition include

Abhinabha Tangerman (Netherlands)

• Completing 615 alternate one-handed claps in one minute.     
• New record for consecutive one-handed claps in one minute.
• Successfully keeping two balloons in the air using only his head for 1 minute 9 seconds.
• Successfully keeping three balloons in the air for 39 minutes 49 seconds.

Ashrita Furman (USA)

• Catching 40 marshmallows with his mouth in one minute, that were shot to him with a home-made catapult.
• Extinguishing 102 burning blow torches in one minute using his tongue.
• Breaking 64 pencils with his head in one minute.

Ashrita has been the holder of the most Guinness World Records for over 25 years.

Andrea Mercato from Italy

• Swimming 200 km in a 25m pool in a total of 7 days.

The International Sri Chinmoy Centre Girls Music Group

Consecutively performing 1,397 songs, for 27 hours 27 minutes 27 seconds.

Isilda Ferreira Duarte from Portugal

Creating the biggest cloth wheel "mother in law" with 1.98 metres in diameter and 6.18 metres in perimeter, using the traditional Portuguese technique. (World Record)

Núcleo de Espeleologia de Leiria and friends

Vertically ascending 5730 m and descending 5730 m on a climbing rope in 12 hours.

Gustavo Fonseca from Portugal (7-years old)

Folding seven different origamis with seven folds each in 27 minutes. 

Hugo Rito from Portugal

Running a half-marathon distance (21 km) backwards in 3 hours 32 minutes 4 seconds.

Jorge Cardinalli from Portugal

Simultaneously spinning 21 plates on sticks for 1 hour 19 minutes 21.32 seconds.

Maria Leão and friends from the Sri Chinmoy Centre

Reciting 645 poems consecutively for 7 hours.

Radek Rosa from the Czech Republic

Pulling a 17,299 kg truck loaded with 13 people for 20 metres in 47.44 seconds.

Vaibhava Kuschnow from Austria

Climbing a 5B+ degree climbing wall, 10 metres high, with inline skates on his feet and without using the brake stopper. It took him only 56,20 seconds.

Carlos Vieira from Portugal

Cycling one-handed for 8 hours 6 minutes and covered a distance of 74,4 km.

External links

• Impossibility Challenger