Uptown resident Britt Brewer recently had eight inaugural records in the men’s 60 to 69 age group certified by the World Ultra Cycling Association while attempting to set a 500-mile endurance record on a long-stride elliptical bicycle at the Sedona Red Rock High School track on March 15 and 16.

Brewer eventually halted the attempt after 24 hours, having covered just shy of 250 miles.

“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to try and [it] reflects the close-knit community of Sedona, and in this case, the folks associated with the school district such as Dr. [Jennifer] Chilton, Principal [Heather] Isom, Pedro Ortega and Cody McKesson at the high school,” Brewer said. “They were just so welcoming and supportive of the process and [I] just can only express appreciation for their support and also for the officials and crew who helped us out.”

As part of his attempt, Brewer set a series of outdoor track records in his age group, posting times of 4:36:10.65 for 100 kilometers, 7:51:00.72 for 100 miles, 9:49:03.91 for 200 kilometers, 16:15:51.90 for 300 kilometers and 17:53:50.63 for 200 miles. He also set distance records of 78.88 miles in the six-hour outdoor category, 149.427 miles in the 12-hour category and 249.935 miles in the 24-hour category.

“[Crews] ensured that Britt had regular and sufficient access to food, fluids, and clothing. They also assessed his condition regularly,” the WUCA official summary stated. “The ride was challenging for Britt and the crew due to swirling winds and cold temperatures [an overnight low of 26 degrees Fahrenheit and an average overall temperature of 36 degrees Fahrenheit over the course of the attempt].”

Brewer said that the four inches of snow that fell the night prior to his record attempt, which required volunteers to clear the track before he began, as well as the track’s rubber surface, worked against him. The resulting back pain after the 150-mile mark—despite stops to use a massage gun—eventually forced him to abandon the effort.

“My body seemed to not agree with the rubber surface, and with my bike’s rubber tires, it provided more resistance than what my body is accustomed to,” Brewer said.

His volunteer officials were Michele Ayotte, Gary Bohn, Jacob Conover, Stacy Hakopian, Gary Hattendorf, Dana Jacko, John Jacko, Stephen Lakowske, Cody McKesson, J. Mark Navarro, Mirka Nieminen Trujillo, Lisa Sprague, Kirk Westervelt, Jack Williams and Molly Williams.

His volunteer crew consisted of Grace Hakopian, Andrea Meyer, Lisa Shows, Nia Trujillo and Judy Van Raalte.

“Although portions of the attempt were painful and physically demanding, that comes with the territory in the sport of ultracycling,” Brewer wrote in a summary of the experience. “The hardest part of the attempt was coming to grips with the inescapable feeling that I had let the team of officials and crew members down and that I was the weakest link in an otherwise strong chain. That sense of disappointment, I hope, will steel my resolve to do better in future attempts [and, not surprisingly, put selection of a more appropriate track/route at the top of the list of priorities].”

Brewer said that while he intends to make another attempt at covering 500 miles, he anticipates difficulty in finding a flat location that has little vehicular traffic. He has submitted his records to the Guinness Book of World Records but has not yet received a response.

“I’m going to be crewing for another rider [doing] a 24-hour ride in Ohio in May, and that’s a way of keeping the cycle of support for those who are doing this activity,” Brewer said. “I’ll get back into full swing for training and other challenges that lie ahead.”