Our new Nuun ambassador Carrie Swidecki is already up to big things. On June 16th she will try to break the Guinness Book of World Records for the Longest Marathon on a Motion-Sensing Dance Game using Dance Central 2 on the Xbox Kinect.
To put things in perspective for our readers, this means Carrie will be dancing for over 20 hours straight!
Carrie is the only female to have broken the Dance Dance Revolution marathon Guinness World Record, and has a few more world records lined up including the Dance Central 2 marathon and Dance Dance Revolution.
Her life has been changed by her involvement in exergaming, as Carrie was once obese. Carrie’s story is particularly inspiring, as not only is she a world record holder, but she dedicates her dancing (and running!) to fighting childhood obesity and raising awareness.
Good luck on the 16th Carrie! Your Nuun family will be cheering you on!!
Carrie’s story in her own words:
The last 11 years, has been an incredible journey both mentally and physically. Within 6 years from graduating from high school, I had gained 90 pounds. I had gone from being a 120-pound athlete to being obese. I was 210 pounds, plus size 18- 20, and living my life in the past. 11 years ago, I was walking past the arcade eating a donut when I discovered Dance Dance Revolution. Little did I know that this game would change my life.
Since then, I have lost 75 pounds, become an advocate to fight childhood obesity in the school systems, and am a World Record Holder. On July 27-28, 2011, I was invited by Konami to make my record setting attempt for the Longest Marathon on a Dance/Rhythm Game using Dance Dance Revolution Supernova 2 at the US Obesity Prevention Summit in Charleston, West Virginia. I danced for 16 hours and 9 minutes! My Guinness attempt was inspired by my desire to bring awareness to fighting childhood obesity in our school systems, but in a fun and exciting way.
Over time, I have broken the odds of being a female gamer, being obese, and aging in the process, to set a World Record. Through all of this, I feel like I’m just getting started as what I can achieve as an endurance athlete. At my 1st Half Marathon at Disneyland over Labor Day weekend 2011, I discovered Nuun at my first half marathon Expo in 2011. Since then, it has become a key ingredient to keeping me hydrated and will hopefully help me break another World Record.
I never realized the impact my story had on people, until one of my 2nd grade students told me, “When I grow up, I want to be a teacher, so I can run marathons and break World Records!” This year, not only am I dedicating my Guinness attempt to anyone who has been struggling with obesity, but to my students and their parents. My greatest accomplishment is being able to integrate my passion for exergaming into my 2nd grade classroom. The last 2 years I have written grants through Donorschoose.org, which has allowed me to use Dance Dance Revolution, Just Dance, and other video games in my classroom for Physical Education as a way to get students excited about fitness.
I want to thank Nuun for sponsoring me as an endurance athlete whose platform is on video games. 11 years ago, I never imagined I would be sponsored as an athlete by a sports drink company, or hold a World Record. I was 210 pounds and just wanted to get good enough at Dance Dance Revolution, so I could play in local tournaments. It just shows, that when you find something you love and stick with it, you can achieve anything in this world!
