Exhausted marathon curler Trevor McClung said it best after 62 hours, 15 minutes and 25 seconds: “I’m going have a beer and then I’m going to go home and lie down for a very long time.”
Just after 10 p.m. Saturday, McClung and his nine Campbell River Curling Club compatriots secured a place in history after a marathon match which saw the curlers play 228 ends and rock their way into the Guinness Book of World Records.
Trevor, along with Cody Hall, Andrew Veldhuis, Paul Mansueto, Rhys Mansueto, Ed Mullen, Mike Fowler, Paul Miller, Cliff Carr-Hilton and John LaPointe began their game Thursday at 8 a.m. with the goal of beating the standing record held by the Dumfries Curling Club in Scotland at 61 hours, 39 minutes and 33 seconds set.
“It was a blast,” McClung said. “We had a few hurdles to get over. My sanity snapped at about 57 hours into the game. We all rose to the occasion. We were doing it for the community to raise money for charity and to raise awareness for the club.”
For LaPointe, at 56 the “token senior,” it was just another day at the rink even though he admitted: “Every bone in my body is aching right now.”
LaPointe said he planned to be back at the rink this week playing with his juniors Tuesday, his regular team Wednesday and his hang over league Sunday.
Susanne Grundison, co-chair of the event, said more than $15,000 was raised in support of the Campbell River Hospital Foundation, Campbell River Hospice Society, Campbell River and North Island Transition Society, Campbell River Head Injury Society and the local chapter of the SPCA.
“Each of these players worked hard to get ready for this. Friday evening around 10:30 fatigue started to take a toll but they worked through it,” Grundison said. “They have the hearts of lions. They are all brothers of another mother now. When they were going through their highs and lows they picked each other up … they were all leaders out there.”
Co-chair Al Wall said the club had been in contact with Guinness since February. “We had to be precise with everything. We had to make sure the event went by the book. That included appointing timekeepers and stewards who are not involved with the club.” Each player was allowed a two-hour break every eight hours and, because they were not permitted to leave, had to bunk down in a makeshift dorm with a view of the ice.