Hanna hopes to hop into book of records

IF YOU'VE ever wondered how many snails you need to cram on to your face, or how many M&Ms you need to eat with chopsticks in a minute to earn a place in the book of Guinness World Records, this is the story for you.

Those were just two of the previous failed world-record attempts of 26-year-old Hanna Miedema, who is now on a mission to record the fastest-ever mile on a moon hopper, a favourite of many a 1980s childhood.

After failing to find enough snails to cover her face – the current record stands at 48 – and worries about the health effects of competitive eating – it takes 27 M&Ms in a minute to get your name in print – she is now hoping to hop her way to success.

The current record for a mile on a moon hopper is 43 minutes and 9 seconds, and is held by American Ashrita Furman, the man with the world record for having the most world records.

But after months of practice, and one failed attempt, Hanna – an Edinburgh University graduate from Newington – aims to steal his crown.

She said: "Having my own world record is something I've wanted to do for a long time. At first I thought about going for the most snails on your face, but the record is 48 – I don't know if my face is big enough and finding that many snails is quite difficult.

"I've been training with the pogo ball (moon hopper] for about three months, working with the ball and also running and skipping to get my fitness up."

Hanna, who has recently completed a PhD in animal welfare and is set to travel to Canada shortly for a research project into the lives of dairy cows, said she had high hopes for breaking the record.

She added: "Forty-three minutes is not very fast. I've never actually managed a mile, but I've done two-thirds of a mile in 18 minutes and then the ball on the hopper burst."

Hanna expects to be joined by around 30 supporters when she goes for her world-record attempt on either 5 or 6 June in the Meadows.

Her previous attempt at the weekend ended in disappointment after she picked up a puncture.

One of her two official witnesses is Green councillor Steve Burgess, who will be on hand to verify that she has indeed broken the record.

He said: "Hanna has a good sense of humour and had a good crowd out cheering her on during the last attempt.

"I said I would go along again next time and I absolutely wish her the best of luck."