By Pepper Fisher

PORT ANGELES – Ian Mackay, Port Angeles entrepreneur, nonprofit founder, outdoor enthusiast, and advocate for accessibility, has a new feather in his cap; world record holder.

Mackay surpassed the world record for covering the furthest distance in a 24-hour period on a mouth-controlled motorized wheelchair. On June 21, he travelled around a 12.5 mile loop 15 times for a distance of over 184 miles, breaking the previous record by over 10 miles. Mackay credits his awesome logistics team and small army of supporters for making it possible.

“It is. Yeah, I mean, that’s a big part of it, right? I got to have the physical support. I need people to be shoving food in my mouth, and being able to fix my chair on the fly, be able to drive follow vehicles. But, you know what? You really also need people just to keep you going throughout the day, with just some kind words and having like, some good friends there to start peppering you with riddles or jokes, or whatever. It really does make it a lot easier to power through.”

Mackay says the feat took months to plan. Setting an official world record requires meeting strict requirements from the Guinness World Records organization, involving loads of witnesses, 24-hour video evidence and GPS tracking, just to name a few. He’s still waiting to hear back, but he’s confident his ducks are in a row.

One challenge was finding the perfect place to make the attempt. Mackay says a “point A to point B” attempt posed too many logistical problems, and he knew he didn’t want to circle a school track for 24 hours. He says he landed on the perfect spot, an island in the Columbia River near Portland, after talking to his marathon friends.

“Someone recommended that they did a half marathon on Sauvie Island down in Portland. And I was intrigued, look into it more. And it was very level, it was about 12 and a half miles, and the surface was really smooth. And so it seemed like a really good place to do it. We kind of reached out to some of the residents, and they were supportive. And then I got to go down and do a lap myself, probably six months ago, and oh man, it is a beautiful place.”

Mackay says he also lucked out on the weather. It had been raining in the days leading up to his attempt, and temperatures were in the 90s soon after, so choosing the day of the summer solstice, with its shortest of nights and beautiful weather, was the right move. He’s also thankful for the residents of Sauvie Island for being such gracious and encouraging hosts.

“Yeah, just having that support. Having the Sauvie Islanders out with noisemakers and cheering us on as we went by their house, or having chalk paint on the road and cheering us on. Those things…you don’t want to let people down once you’re out there started, and it just is really motivating when you come by people with that kind of encouragement.”

Mackay says he’s proud to live in a place that is becoming a destination for people like him who get around in a wheelchair. He mentioned specifically the Olympic Discovery Trail, but also the new Port Angeles Pump Track, which has a built-in section for accessibility. Mackay himself will be at the Grand Opening of the track next week to try it out.

Mackay says anyone interested should consider joining him in his annual 3-day Sea To Sound Ride coming up in August, sponsored by his non-profit, Ian’s Ride. Visit Iansride.com to learn more.

(Photos provided by iansride.com.)