Island Games gold medallist Jason Fox will attempt to jump higher than the tallest building on the planet tomorrow, as he tackles a 12-hour high jump challenge in aid of Sport Relief.
Under the banner of his fledgling social media project HighFly Fox, the Jersey 2015 Games high jump champion plans to Fosbury Flop and Scissor-Kick his way to a total height exceeding 1,000m at Les Ormes Resort, and could even meet a target set by Guinness World Records. The world’s tallest building – the Burj Khalifa in Dubai – stands at 830m.
Fox will high jump from 8 am-8 pm on the indoor courts at the St Brelade facility – completing as many as 700 jumps throughout the day. He is also offering Islanders the chance to try the event for themselves during community sessions at 11 am, 2 pm and 4.30 pm.
‘One of the main reasons I set up HighFly Fox was to promote high jump and athletics in fun ways,’ the 29-year-old explained. ‘So it would be great if we can get a few new faces interested in the sport while raising money for a good cause.
‘I applied to Guinness World Records after discovering that no-one has ever set a 12-hour high jump record, and they set a target of 1,500m. Unfortunately I am unable to meet all of the administrative requirements they requested, but if I’m well on my way to the main target of 1,000m at the halfway mark [2 pm] I will push on to try and claim what would be an “unofficial” world record.
‘I’m assuming no-one has tried this before for a good reason … it’s going to be tough, so hopefully I’ll have plenty of company throughout the day.’
As part of his promotional efforts for HighFly Fox and the charity challenge, Fox has filmed high jump videos with a number of leading sportsmen and women in recent months, including Jersey Reds, England netballer Serena Guthrie, Team Jets, Wimbledon tennis player Scott Clayton and YouTube star ChrisMD.
The project has also attracted support from a number of Island businesses, including Rathbones, who have pledged to donate £1 to Sport Relief for every metre that Fox jumps during the challenge.
‘Rathbones is delighted to support HighFly Fox in his unofficial attempt to break the Guinness World Record,’ said Matthew Sutton, client director at Rathbones Investment Management International.
‘We hope that Islanders will come along to support him in what we think is a fantastic, unique and fun personal challenge.’
Brooks Macdonald have acted as lead project partners for HighFly Fox since its launch in February.
For more information on the 12-hour challenge, or to watch HighFly Fox’s latest videos, visit www.highflyfox.com.
