MAY 25, 2015, 3:28 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015, 3:35 PM
BY STEFANIE DAZIO
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — Temperatures in the mid-70s couldn’t stop him. A recent bout of bronchitis surely didn’t. And forget about those 25 pounds of firefighting gear — including three and a half pounds of boot on each foot.
In the end, Ridgewood Fire Lt. Brendan Corcoran smashed the Guinness World Record he’d been chasing by more than a full minute on Monday. The previous record for the one-mile run wearing full fire gear was 7 minutes 58.02 seconds. Corcoran unofficially clocked in at 6 minutes 45 seconds on his brother Greg’s watch, a fellow firefighter who ran alongside him at the Fred d’Elia Memorial Day Ridgewood Run.
You might say Corcoran has been training for this run since age 7, when he ran his first 10-kilometer race in Ridgewood with his Uncle Greg. Since then, he’s competed in marathons, half-marathons, triathlons and Ironman Triathlons — including one half-marathon in March in full firefighter gear that’s soon to become the new world record with 1 hour 48 minutes 24 seconds.
Fast forward to 2001, when he was working as a personal trainer and living in Hoboken. Sept. 11 hit and he realized he wanted to step up for his community.
