Navy Veteran Mike McCastle Sets World Record for the Longest Full Body Contact With Ice
Industry: Non Profit & Charity
Navy veteran and Air Traffic Controller, Mike McCastle, has been steadily amazing all with his ongoing “12 Labors Project”. His latest, the 8th challenge, showed extreme willpower and self-control as he broke a world record in support of the Brian Grant Foundation.
Bethel, Alaska (PRUnderground) January 25th, 2021
Mike McCastle, a Navy Veteran and Air Traffic Controller, has stretched the idea of what seems possible – all in support of charity. Founder of the Twelve Labors Project, Mike has broken several world records doing challenges inspired by mythology’s twelve labors of Hercules. The latest recently saw Mike shift from physical endurance and strength to mental strength and willpower as he set a world record for the longest full body contact with ice after staying submerged for 2 hours and 40 minutes, surpassing the previous record set by Romain Vandendorpe by more than 4 minutes. This latest labor, his 8th of the targeted 12, was streamed live on Instagram in support of the Brian Grant Foundation, a Portland, OR based nonprofit organization that helps people with Parkinson’s Disease. Needless to say, this latest challenge garnered widespread attention and praise.
“I’ll have something more thoughtful to say with more reflection in the days to come as I recover,” commented the clearly passionate extreme athlete. “As proud as I am to have broken this record, it is only as meaningful to me as the cause behind it, in support of Brian Grant Foundation and the many Americans, like my late father, who live with Parkinson’s Disease nationwide.”
The record breaking ice challenge in solidarity with the Brian Grant Foundation was picked for it’s symbolic representation of a common symptom of Parkinson’s Disease, ‘rigidity’. Rigidity is experienced by someone with Parkinson’s as stiffness in the extremities beyond what occurs naturally as a result of old age or arthritis. Mike’s father experienced this later in his battle with the disease as it progressed.
The Brian Grant Foundation provides proven tools to improve the well-being of people with Parkinson’s. BGF was established in 2010, following Brian’s diagnosis in 2008 at the age of 36. Though there is no cure for Parkinson’s, exercise, nutrition and a supportive community can help manage symptoms, maintain overall health and prevent other serious illnesses. Helping the foundation has become one of Mike’s great passions, and the foundation also enthusiastically supports his ongoing feats.
Past charitable labors completed by Mike include breaking the world record for ‘Most Pull-ups in 24 Hours’; pulling a 2-ton truck 22 miles through Death Valley desert; climbing a 20-foot rope repeatedly until he’d ascended the height of Mount Everest; and flipping a 250-lb. tire for 13 miles straight. He was recently featured on Discovery Channel’s ‘The Impossible Row’ as performance coach to Colin O’Brady who, in 2018 became the first to trek across Antarctica solo and unsupported.
Visit the Brian Grant Foundation at https://briangrant.org. Stay connected with Mike McCastle on Instagram here.
About Mike McCastle
Mike McCastle is an American endurance athlete and strongman. In 2014, driven by a charitable purpose, he founded the Twelve Labors Project – an initiative through which he performs seemingly impossible challenges that push the limits of human performance. To date, Mike has set several world records while raising funds and national awareness in support of various causes such as Parkinson’s disease and Veteran mental health awareness.
