As the story goes, he was on pace as the treadmill reached 3.1 miles. In his excitement, he hopped off the treadmill. Problem was, he forgot about the .2 mile of warming up he did before starting the race. So he apparently set the unofficial record for running 2.9 miles, but that just doesn’t have the same cachet.

Of course, as you might expect with a story like this, the truth isn’t quite so tidy. Turns out, at least according to the runner himself, this wasn’t a serious attempt at a world record, but simply a fun distraction. “Something to keep me motivated during long Canadian winters,” was what he wrote online.

After a long Chicago winter, I can understand that. In fact, 15 minutes on a treadmill is about all I’m ever good for. But I was surprised that a world record for running a 5K on a treadmill hadn’t been established. (Of course, after his story broke, there probably is one by now.) Since breaking established records is nearly impossible—unless your name is Gebrselassie—runners have taken to increasingly odder feats of endurance to stand out. Who can run the longest on a treadmill? Who can run the farthest before collapsing? Who can run the fastest marathon while jogging? (Current world record: 2:50:09.) And while some may say this has to do with people seeking out their 15 minutes of fame in our celebrity-obsessed age, I don’t know that things have really changed all that much. People have always tried to find ways to be the first, the fastest or the last one standing. Only now you can watch them on YouTube.

To rid yourself of the notion that endurance contests are something new, pick up a copy of C.C. Pyle’s Amazing Footrace by Geoff Williams. It was 80 years ago that 199 men began a 3,422-mile footrace across the country in pursuit of $25,000. Over 84 days, running 7 days a week, the assortment of characters made its way along a new highway—Route 66—to the awe of spectators along the way. William’s well-told history is just one of the wilder events in this age of endurance contests in the late ’20s.

Before the Depression hit, dance marathons, long-distance swims and eating contests are just a sample of the headline-drawing feats that captivated the country. Think Ironman has become a spectacle? In 1927, a 22-mile swim from Catalina Island to the California coast ended when the 17-year-old winner finished at 3:41 a.m.—to a waiting crowd of 5,000 people.

We may now have high-tech wetsuits and “energy food,” but the desire to push the limits (and get a little bit of attention) isn’t anything new. And even though the thought of running for a treadmill for any amount of time turns my brain numb, I have to admit that if I found out I could establish a world record like our Canadian friend, I’d be tempted to do it. I wouldn’t jump through the hoops to make it official, but there’s still something appealing about saying you did something first. Not that you’d necessarily want “First person to break 16:30 on a treadmill” on your tombstone, but it’s something to talk about at parties.

The problem is finding a record that’s impressive enough to brag about, but mainstream enough not to embarrass you. After all, there’s a fine line between stupid and clever. I’m nerdy enough to be really impressed by the “juggling a marathon” record. Running a marathon while wearing high heels? Not so much. You want to be known as an adventurous boundary-pusher, not a circus freak.

But wherever you draw that line, you don’t want to be the person that doesn’t finish hard. So run through the line, not to the line. Even if you’re running backwards on a treadmill.