AUSTIN, Texas — A man from Austin is a new world record holder.
Ben Duong, 24, finished with a time of 1 hour, 21 minutes, 38 seconds in Sunday's Austin Marathon – which was impressive, but not as impressive as his shattering of a prior world record.
Duong set a new mark recognized by the Guinness World Records by becoming the fastest person to ever finish a half marathon while dribbling a ball. Duong shattered the previous record of 1 hour, 25 minutes.
Duong was sponsored by the San Antonio Spurs in his quest to break the record. After accomplishing the feat, he shared his feelings with KVUE's media partners at the Austin American-Statesman.
"It doesn't feel real. I'm honestly in disbelief. I'm shaking," Duong told the 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."
In order to break the record, Duong had to keep his dribble the entire time while running. Duong was not allowed to pick up the ball while running, and if he had lost the ball while running, he would’ve had to run back to the spot where he lost it and regain his dribble.
Duong is a McNeil High School alumnus and ran track and cross country when he was a student. He also ran track and cross country while working towards earning a bachelor’s degree at Dallas Baptist University. He is currently earning his MBA at the University of Texas at San Antonio.