Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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f 0), Records are made to be broken. And there ' s always someone who is willing to take on the challenge. Though not quite as bizarre as the older versions of goldfish swallowing or flagpole sitting, the more modern marathon stunts are just as mentally and physically gruel- ing. K-Staters were involved in several attempts at record-breaking and will probably go on and on. Record breakers collapse and heroes remain unsung by Greg Doyle Just a few more hours and it will all be over. Heart how you doing? Beating a little fast, I see. Stomach sure you ' re hungry, but you ' ve gone without food for a lot longer than this. Legs a little more Ben Gay will soothe the ache. Back don ' t tense up now. Eyelids don ' t close yet. Not yet ... but they ' re so heavy ... so ... heavy . . . And just before they shut tight and the owner ' s body melts into a Sealy mattress for a day and a half of peaceful slumber, the ordeal is completed. Somebody switches off the broadcasting console, and the turnta- ble stops. The Isley Brothers ' Fight the Power fades off and the exhausted dancers rest their aching mem- bers. The last lap is swum, the last card trumped. The long haul is over. 1975 could rightly earn the reputation of being a marathon year Guineas Book of World Records got its share of business from K-State prestige-seekers who tried everything from a 1 00-hour continuous radio broadcast to bump-dancing for two and a half days at Mother ' s Worry Tavern in Aggieville. As a result, thousands of dollars were raised for charity. Long hours were not wasted, despite jeers of disbelief from those who cried, You ' re crazy! or You ' re going to kill yourself! The finish line was too important. Lasting was too vital. Steve Physioc, junior in radio and tv, and Gevin Kidd, sophomore in radio and television, proved they could do the seemingly impossible by staying on the air for 1 00 hours on KSDB-FM. From 9 am Thursday, April 1 7, to 1 pm Monday, April 21 , the duo volleyed between the penthouse of Far- rell Library and the main corridor in the Union playing popular music, joking with listeners, and each other over the air, and yawning a lot. During the broadcast, only 60 seconds was lost to dead air, when Kidd ' s eyelids just wouldn ' t stay up. With coffee on hand, and the pair needling each other to stay awake, the hundredth hour finally came, and the crowd in the Union cheered as the pair pointed to each other, proud of the triumph. The duo broadcast to raise money for the newly-cre- ated James A. McCain Commemorative Scholarship Fund. Working in conjunction were Alpha Phi Omega, Chimes, and Spurs which took pledges. In the back of their minds, though, Physioc and Kidd had another purpose for the marathon radio show, and that was to break the supposed world record of 99 hours, 33 minutes. The pair managed to break that record, but they missed getting their names in Guiness by 63 hours, 45 minutes. The McCain Scholarship Fund got off to a good start, but the two disappointed K-Staters went down to defeat in their quest for world fame. Marathons became the craze, though, and through- 26 marathons

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;said. Hesai( dn ' tgiveushi; lice off icerwhc udges, Piera as that was the was really no ivedtomeasl j rents about the I legal aspects. then there was ere contribi to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The towel and certificate were partly a good will gesture and partly an attempt to distinguish ourselves from competitors. Others were beginning to take up the craze and we wanted to be sure we didn ' t have to take responsibility for their work, Pierce said. Creative Promotions collected about $350 as a result of 1 5 to 20 hits. Students requesting hits were charged $15 while others paid $30 as fees were higher for cer- tain victims. One such case was the attempt to zap Governor Robert Bennett. Bennett was participating as a speaker at Spring Fling 75 activities and arrangements were made to hit him at the bed races. However, the mission was thwarted by two K-State students who knocked the pie to the ground. Hired hit-man Bruce Moore was lectured by the stu- dents on the merits of preserving the image of K-State. Pierce said he believed the governor would have reacted good-naturedly. Sessions of Student Senate were disrupted by several pie-wielding incidents. Among those zapped were student senators Amy Button, Chris Badger and Pierce. I thought it was funny, Gerald Polich, assistant professor of music and another of Pierce ' s targets, said. Polich, who displays his certificate in his office, said he grew suspicious when several music students crowded around his door as he was about to begin a class. He also thought it strange when Pierce approached him with one hand behind his back. He was able to block Pierce ' s throw and the pie fell. I hit him with it, Polich said. Pierce still managed to get pie on Polich ' s clothing. Making arrangements for zaps sometimes resembled contacts between spies. One woman met Pierce dressed in sunglasses and trench coat, including the turned-up collar. Another thought he was to identify himself by removing one shoe. Pierce was unaware of this code, however, and the man stood in a public area for several minutes with his shoe in hand. Creative Promotions had made no hits since the 1 975 spring semester, but remained open to requests. As to future escapades? We ' re just going to wait until the next fad comes along and possibly follow up on it, Pierce said. pie throwing 25

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out the year other groups began testing their minds and bodies to see how long they could last at just about anything. Shortly after 1 975 spring break, Mother ' s Worry Tav- ern stayed open for 60 hours straight. The dance floor wasn ' t crowded, but the few couples dancing were : tenacious. Six couples began the 60-hour bump-a- thon , but only three couples lasted the duration. We got a 10-minute break every two hours, Greg Cline, one of the sturdier participants, said. I was rub- bing Ben Gay into my legs during the breaks. On February 1 9, ten more couples survived the trial this time lasting 62 hours. Ironically, both marathon dances were put on to raise i money for Muscular Distrophy of America. About $2,000 was raised in the first effort with $5,000 as the : second ' s goal. If the dances set a world record, Guiness doesn ' t list the dancers ' names in its celebrated pages. Apparently i the editors have never heard of the bump , or were afraid to ask what it was when they received the record entry application from the dancers. Such are the trials and tribulations of the marathoner. Imagination seems to be the key in the marathon : business. Card games helped raise money for other charities across America. The annual Black and Gold Card-a-thon , in March 1975 lasted four days, allowing 65 persons from Acacia and Alpha Xi Delta to play cards in shifts. Spades, hearts, and bridge kept the participants busy at card tables in front of the Union. Nearly $2,000 was raised for the K-State Speech and Hearing Center, Pittman Hall in New York, and the Capper Foundation for Crip- pled Children in Topeka. In another charity drive, members of the K-State and University of Kansas chapters of Kappa Kappa Gamma staged a run-a-thon in October to raise money for the Burns Center at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City. More than 160 women participated, meeting at a halfway point between Manhattan and Lawrence. A participant from each chapter ran a mile, then was picked up in a car, and replaced by another Kappa. $2,300 was collected to help buy medical equipment for the center. A 3,200 lap swim-a-thon meant survival for the K- State women ' s swim team, which was in danger of los- ing its status as an intercollegiate contender. Last October, 16 team members each swam 200 lengths. The $2,000 the team raised for the effort gained it reinstatement. Marathons and more marathons. K-Staters couldn ' t seem to exhaust the marathon possibilities. Although no group succeeded in its quest for a world ' s record, charities, teams, and scholarship funds profited by the unselfish efforts of those who believe that people are capable of much more than they ever thought possible. marathons 27