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AROUND THE QUADS

Duffy Crawls Into Record Book
Raising Money To Fight Pediatric AIDS

By Chase Behringer ’06

When Sean Duffy ’06 strapped on his hand- and kneepads to break the Guinness World Record for “longest crawl” this summer, he knew that it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.

Duffy and close friend Leo Chau, a senior at Colorado, crawled more than 32 miles through hail, lightning and freezing temperatures to break the 31.44 mile record set in 1992 by two Scotsmen and raise $18,700 for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. The pair crawled continually, with hands and knees on the ground, for 45 hours. They even remained in the crawl position during their most private moments in what Duffy and Chau called the “poop tent.”

Why would anyone do this? It’s simple, says Duffy. “We were crawling so that kids could crawl. The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is a great charity, and we wanted do whatever we could to help it.”

Duffy, a neuroscience and behavior major, got the idea to raise money for the charity after flipping through the Guinness Book of World Records with Chau. They figured that breaking the record for longest crawl was something they could manage, and Duffy was familiar with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation from the annual Columbia University Dance Marathon, which contributes to the foundation each year.

Sean Duffy ’06 (right) and Leo Chau gear up for their record crawl. PHOTO: BILL DUFFY

Preparation for the June event began in January. Duffy met with mechanical engineering professors to determine how to best design hand- and knee-pads, and Duffy’s friends practiced crawling with him at the nearby Riverbank track. Columbia alumni also played a role by helping to put Duffy in contact with alumni in Colorado.

“It was outstanding to be able to pull something together for such a great cause,” he said. “We had instant support from the local community and the Columbia community. People would go out of their way to approach me and ask what they could do to help.”

Duffy and Chau crawled 32.26 miles June 9–11 on the football field of Rampart High School in Colorado Springs, Colo., their alma mater. Hundreds of onlookers braved the elements to cheer for the pair as they completed 155 laps of the field.

Shortly after recovering from the crawl, Duffy started an internship in Berkeley, Calif., as a part of the Columbia Harold F. Linder Summer Internship Fund, where he works on circadian biology. Prior, Duffy spent two years working in Columbia’s Dr. Rae Silver neuroscience lab studying neuroendocrinology with his mentor, Dr. Lance Kreigsfeld. After graduation, Duffy plans to enter medical school and pursue a career as a surgeon.

“The field of medicine matches my interests and talents, and every time I am in a hospital, I feel at home and excited for my future career,” he said.

But do Duffy’s future plans include crawling? “We will probably not break any records again, and will certainly not do another crawl,” he replied. “It was one of the most painful things I have done, and it would probably take another $500,000 in donations to the foundation to get me back in that position again. However, I am interested in organizing other charity events … maybe a lemonade stand or a bake sale.”

A journal of Duffy’s crawl, including pictures and video footage, can be found at the 33 Mile Crawl Web site. As of August 10, Duffy and Chau had raised $18,700 for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and hoped to reach their $20,000 goal with support from alumni and friends.

Chase Behringer ’06 is publisher of the Columbia Daily Spectator.

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