A Dutch national, Anton Nootenboom, reclaimed his 2021 Guinness world record on November 2, 2024. What did he do? He walked barefoot across 3,100 miles, from Los Angeles to New York. His cause was good – to raise awareness for men’s mental health.
Another man, the apostle Paul, walked 3,100 miles, also for a very good cause – to proclaim the Good News of Jesus.
That distance, matching Nootenboom’s record distance, accounts only for the second missionary journey. He also traveled 1,600 miles on his first journey, and another 3,300 on his third missionary tour. Admittedly, some of those miles were on a ship, and I assume he was not barefoot.
Paul’s 8,000 miles without “wheels” is remarkable and should merit some kind of title. Perhaps the Lord had something better for Paul than a Guinness world record, as Paul himself anticipated:
…in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day…
(2 Timothy 4:8)
Source: “A feat by foot,” World Magazine, December 2024, p. 32.
