‘Why not?’: Seattle local to run in Guinness World Record for world’s deepest marathon
Oct 25, 2025, 5:01 AM
A Seattle local is participating in a Guinness World Record today for the world’s deepest marathon.
Chris-King Sidney will be part of a group of 60 others running more than 3,675 feet below sea level — more than twice the length of the Empire State Building — in the Garpenberg Zinc Mine in Sweden on October 25.
The underground challenge will be Chris’ first marathon, begging the question: why this one?
“Well, I’ve never done one before. I’ve done a half before. I used to run cross country when I was in high school, and I figured, kind of bit of a bucket list thing. Why not?” Chris shared on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “Do one, and this will be one and done. I don’t plan on doing another one. And if I’m going to do one, I might as well do something that’s a little bit crazy.”
He added that a large part of the event is to raise money for charity and spread awareness around mine safety. Chris said while mining has gotten a bad safety reputation, it’s actually an “incredibly safe profession.”
“A bit of what we’re trying to do here is to raise awareness around the safety of mining and the importance of mining for just our global economy and energy transition, and where it’s going,” he shared.
During the record attempt, the group will face temperatures of up to 86 degrees, will be in total silence, and will only have their head torch for light.
“We have headlamps that are affixed to the top of our helmets. We have high viz reflective shirts and socks, and everything so that we can be seen. We have transponders on our helmets, should something ever happen. And at the beginning of the run, there will be a sort of a staging area where there will be some lamps that are set up so that you can see. And there’s a turnaround point, because it’s not that we’re doing 26 miles all in one direction. It’s about a four-kilometer loop,” Chris explained.
Watch the full discussion in the video above.
Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.
