In celebration of Backwards Day on 31 January, Guinness World Records is shining a spotlight on one talented individual who backed his way right into the record books.
 
It’s not easy to run a mile in ten minutes, but Aaron Yoder (USA) recently achieved the Fastest run backwards – one mile in a mind-blowing time of 5 min 54.25 sec – smashing the previous record of 6 min 2.35 sec which had belonged to D. Joseph James (India) since 2002.
 
Aaron's speed is particularly impressive when considering that the Fastest run one mile (forwards) is only just over two minutes longer.
 
 
The 30-year-old retro-runner is the head track and cross country coach at Bethany College in Lindsborg Kansas, where the record attempt took place.
 
When applying for the title, Aaron told Guinness World Records: “It has been a dream of mine since I was a child to be a world record holder … I have always admired world record holders and the dedication it required to be the best.”
 
Reverse running is more popular than you’d imagine:
 
The Fastest marathon running backwards is hr 43 min 39 sec and was achieved by Xu Zhenjun (China) in 2004 (pictured below).
 
Fastest-marathon-running-backwards
 
Arvind Pandya of India ran backwards across America, Los Angeles to New York, in 107 days from 18 August to 3 December 1984 to secure a record for the Fastest run backwards across the USA.
 
The record for the Fastest run backwards 100 m has not been broken since 1991, when Ferdie Ato Adoboe (Ghana) ran 100 m in 13.6 sec.