“Records were made to be broken,” as the old saying goes.  Everyone loves to watch someone break a record: Usain Bolt running a hundred meters faster than anyone in the world; Mike Tyson becoming the youngest heavyweight boxing champion in history; Wilt Chamberlain scoring a hundred points in one game.  All of these names have become legendary within their fields.  However, some legendary stories come not only from those who tried and reached new records, but from those who tried and came up short.

Some of the most interesting attempts at gambling records have not occurred at brick-and-mortar casinos, but in the vastness of internet gaming sites.  In particular, a brewing rivalry between two major online poker sites, PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, has brought more players into the game.  At one point, Full Tilt held the record for hosting a tournament with over thirty-five thousand players.  A few weeks later, PokerStars crushed that record by holding a tournament with nearly fifty thousand players. 

One curious attempt at a world record involved a marathoner, a treadmill, and a friendly wager.  In July 2008, Michael Wardian, a resident of Washington, DC, and an amateur marathoner, bet his friends that he could complete a marathon on a gym treadmill.  In Mr. Wardian’s mind, finishing the forty-two kilometers would be much easier indoors on a smooth surface than outdoors in bad weather and on uneven pavement.  He held the previous record for running a marathon on a treadmill at just under two hours and twenty-four minutes, until a runner in Chicago beat his record by two minutes.

With the new inspiration to get his record back, Mr. Wardian started up the treadmill and took off at a blistering pace.  He completed twenty-four miles in just under two hours and ten minutes.  After the twenty-fifth mile, he accidentally shut off the machine.  With just over a mile to go, he got back on, only to quit again less than half a mile from the finish.  He lost his bet, his record and his place in history.