Ben Duong breaks world record by finishing Austin Marathon while dribbling a basketball
Ben Duong's Half Marathon time of 1 hour, 21 minutes and 38 seconds on Sunday was impressive, but far from the best at the Austin Marathon. After all, he ranked 12th in the half marathon, outside of the top 10 of the elite group of runners.
However, he did do something that no one else in the race can claim. Or world, for that matter. Duong etched his name into the Guinness Book of World Records by becoming the fastest person to ever finish a half marathon while dribbling a ball, breaking the previous record of 1 hour, 25 minutes.
"It doesn't feel real. I'm honestly in disbelief. I'm shaking," Duong told the American-Statesman after the race. "We're here. We made it here. I couldn't have done it without all my family, all my friends. Everyone who's supported me."
With family and friends cheering him on, the former McNeil High School runner raced — and dribbled — alongside his friends Kobe Yebez and Elijah McWilliams, who've trained with Duong since his high school track years.
Duong, 24, was sponsored by the San Antonio Spurs and was forced to jog and dribble at a quick yet steady pace. Up and down hills, avoiding other runners, obstacles and the temptation to pick up the bouncing ball instead of pounding it against the pavement over and over. A difficult feat, but McWilliams had confidence in his friend's ability to succeed.
"This isn't the first challenge I've seen Ben do," McWilliams said. "And Ben, he's the type of person to do something like this — his passion for running is on another level ... and he loves every bit of it."
Come on 'basketball boy!'
While his family also believed in Duong's running ability, they worried about the dribbling aspect of the world record. His mom, in all her loving parental anxiety, made sure that her son was consistently practicing his skills so that he'd be prepared for his attempt at history.
"Remember when we were kids, and your mom would be like, 'Hey, did you do your homework today?' My mom lowkey was like, 'Ben, did you dribble the basketball today?"' Duong said.
Duong's favorite part of the race came as he crossed the First Street bridge. With hundreds of people lined up to see the runners, the crowd murmured and then cheered as they realized what Duong was attempting to do.
"Without a doubt, I'll remember it forever," Duong said.
"It was so many people, and like, I remember, I was just yelling 'we got a world record attempt!' and everyone went crazy and they was like, 'basketball boy!'" McWilliams said. "I've never in my life felt that kind of energy from running and it was just amazing."
The last mile of the Austin Half Marathon
It wasn't all smooth sailing. Even though he says he'll remember the best moments for a long time, what will stick in Duong's mind even longer is the foreboding he felt as he approached the final hill.
Not only was his body exhausted from the usual effort of running 13.1 miles, but any misstep would cause the ball to go careening down the hill, ruining his attempt at the record. While his body was ready to call it a day, Duong overcame his limits with the strength of his mind.
"On the last uphill going into the last mile, my whole body wanted to quit. But I was like, I made it this far. I cannot stop. No," Duong said.
There will only be one name etched into the book after Sunday's run. According to the World Record holder though, there should be plenty more, as he knows that this wasn't something he could've done on his own.
"It should be everyone's name next to me. I couldn't have done without them," Duong said.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Ben Duong breaks world record dribbling basketball during half marathon
