Kitesurfing at 50.9 knots!
Tilmann Heinig has just done a 500m kitesurf run with an average speed of 50.9 knots. It doesn’t count as the official world record as it was recorded using a GPS and there is lots of discussion not only over the accuracy of GPS recordings but also the fact that it records the actual distance you have travelled rather than a straight line between two points 500m apart. In essence, if you travel on a curved line for 500m you won’t have completed a set 500m course. The world record has always been contested over a set course, so getting the world record is more difficult as not only do you have to travel slightly further than 500m if you take a slightly curved course, but you have to time your run perfectly, have the wind in the perfect direction to the course and do it in a set location…. No doubt the 50 knot barrier for the world record will fall soon though.
Of course, World Record rules could change as technology improves and allows better ratification, and world record or not, it is still pretty fast in my books!
