Martin’s space-hopping success
03/12/2015
BINDT member Martin Mienczakowski, Research Associate in Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) of Composites at the University of Bristol, has succeeded in breaking the Guinness World Record for the furthest distance travelled on a space hopper in 24 hours, to raise awareness and vital funds for the Stroke Association.
Martin’s space-hopping challenge took place at the Kip Keino Stadium, Bristol, on 31 October 2015. The previous Guinness World Record stood at eight kilometres (five miles) travelled on a space hopper within 24 hours and, prior to his attempt, Martin had completed more than ten kilometres during his training and so was confident he could set a new record.
With the support of local residents and colleagues to adjudicate his attempt, Martin set off at 10h00 for his challenging journey. Martin continued hopping until 03h20 the following morning having achieved an impressive 16 kilometres travelled, with still over six hours to spare. “I’m absolutely overjoyed to have achieved my aim of breaking the record by doubling the distance travelled and raising over £1200 in aid of the Stroke Association,” Martin said. “Breaking a world record is the ultimate challenge for me,” he added.
Martin was just 25 years old when he was suddenly taken ill with a severe headache and nausea on Christmas Day, 2009. Within a few hours his condition had deteriorated so much that his parents insisted he visit hospital, where he was diagnosed as having had a stroke.
Initially, Martin was advised by doctors to take six months off work to recuperate but he returned to full-time work within one month. “During my recovery I was confronted with a number of things that people said I wouldn’t or shouldn’t be able to do again, like going back to work full-time for example. In overcoming these hurdles I have developed a philosophy of working out how I can do things rather than dwelling on why I can’t do them,” Martin explained. This can-do attitude has led Martin to engage in various new experiences, such as travelling through Australia for six weeks on his own, representing England in a new sport, writing a book and a creating a blog about his recovery.
Amy Spencer, Fundraising Manager at the Stroke Association, said: “With around 152,000 strokes a year in the UK – that’s roughly one every three and a half minutes – it is vital that we have people who can raise funds for those affected. We’re incredibly grateful to Martin for taking on this challenge; the money will go a long way in helping to support people who are living with the effects of stroke, as well as their families and carers.”
Martin has been employed within the NDT sector for ten years since gaining his PhD at Nottingham University. He is currently a Research Associate at the University of Bristol, where his research interests include the inspection of composite components and full matrix capture (FMC). Within BINDT, Martin is a Co-opted Member of the NDT Technical Committee, Chair of the FMC Users Group, Vice Chair of the Aerospace Group and a Member of the Composites Group.
If you would like to contribute to the funds raised so far, visit http://www.justgiving.com/martin-mienczakowski1
