Victoria Lawyer Attempts to Break Guinness World Record

On Sunday, October 7th, 2012, Adam Campbell will race in the GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon and attempt to beat the Guinness World Record for being the fastest man to run a marathon in a business suit.

Campbell is quite confident that he will be able to break the record of 3:24:46, currently held by Paul Buchanan, from the U.K. Buchanan made this time running in the Adidas Dublin Marathon in Dublin, Ireland on October 26, 2009. Campbell is a world class ultramarathon runner, and also an associate lawyer with Hemminger Schmid Lawyers and Mediators.

“Although I’m a self-proclaimed ‘serious’ runner, I recognize that sport is ultimately about having fun, so I was looking for a quirky challenge. The “suit marathon” world record attempt seemed like a good way to marry my dual identity as a lawyer and as an elite runner,” Campbell says.

Campbell is a person who cares deeply about his community. As an added incentive he is also running to raise awareness about and fundraise for Access Pro Bono, a non-profit charitable society whose mission is to promote access to justice in BC by providing and fostering quality pro bono (free) legal services for people and non-profit organizations of limited means. As a firm with its own strong ties to its community, Hemminger Schmid is extremely proud to not only welcome Campbell as the newest member of their legal team, but also support him in achieving his goals.

“It’s a fun way to raise some awareness and money for Access Pro Bono and to connect with the running community in a unique way. Although I’ve put in long miles on my feet and long hours in a suit, I’ve never combined the two, so it will be interesting to see what happens out there. I’m fairly confident that I can lower the current record of 3:24, but there are also a lot of unknowns and I also respect the fact that a marathon is still a long way to run and anything can happen out there,” he added.

Campbell will be available for interviews at the GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon Media Conference on Friday, October 5, 10 am at Frontrunners, 1200 Vancouver Street, Victoria.

The 33rd Annual GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon takes place Sunday, October 7th, 2012. For the fourth year in a row it will host the 2012 BC Marathon Championships. The total purse available in the Dairlyland Elite Athlete Program, including incentive bonuses, is $38,800. In 2011, three new course records were set. Thomas Omwenga set a new men’s Marathon record in 2:14:33; Lucy Njeri broke the 22-year women’s Marathon record in 2:37:56, and Natasha Wodak set a new women’s Half Marathon record in 1:15:27. For more details, visit www.runvictoriamarathon.com.