Richard Rodriguez (roller coaster rider)

Richard Rodriguez in his world record attempt in 2003 alone on the train of Expedition GeForce

Richard Rodriguez (born December 12, 1958 in New York City ) alias King of Rollercoaster has made a name for himself all over the world due to his spectacular roller coaster rides. In Germany, the US university professor became known in 2002 and 2003 for his roller coaster marathon on the GeForce expedition in Holiday Park . During his record runs, he was able to collect numerous funds for aid projects and foundations . Research has also had an increased interest in his marathon rides for years, as data about his physical condition (heart, circulation, skeleton, etc.) can be collected.

The early years

Rodriguez discovered his love for roller coasters very early on, as he grew up near the famous New York amusement park Coney Island . He made his first record run in 1977 at the age of 18 on the legendary Coney Island Cyclone . He spent a total of 104 hours on the now listed railway. In the following years until 1982 he made a total of 10 different record runs in Canada , England , Germany and the USA before taking a break.

Record runs on the Big Dipper

His most spectacular rides include the continuous rides on the Big Dipper at Blackpool Pleasure Beach . In 1994, 1998 and 2000 he spent over 3,500 hours on the track. During this time he could u. a. Collect US $ 30,000 for a Diabetes Foundation.

Coastermarathon in the Holiday Park

Although he had already completed a record run on the super vortex in Holiday Park in Germany in 1982 , he only became famous there in 2002 and 2003. His first roller coaster marathon on the GeForce expedition took place in 2002. This year he drove a total of 104 days (based on his first record, which lasted 104 hours). However, the record run only took place during the day, as the GeForce expedition was not allowed to go at night due to the noise. In order to get an entry in the Guinness Book , however, a non-stop roller coaster ride had to take place. For this reason, the “King of Rollercoaster” started a new record drive in Holiday Park the following year. This time he drove Expedition GeForce by day and Super Vortex by night. His journey lasted a total of 49 days and nights, of which only 192 hours were recognized by the Guinness Book (because of security interruptions, etc.). Still, the trip was enough to break the old world record.

During his roller coaster marathon, Rodriguez asked for a five-digit amount to be collected (through collection boxes, donation accounts, etc.) for the UNESCO “Education for Children in Need” campaign. Even the dixitoilette , on which the American urged himself next to the train, could be auctioned on the Internet for the UNESCO campaign.

World record 2007

In August 2006, Stefan Seemann from Upper Palatinate started a record run in the leisure region Geiselwind , with which he overthrew the American from the throne according to Guinness rules. Just one year later, in August 2007, Richard Rodriguez was able to get back the Guinness entry after long rides on The Big One and Big Dipper in Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

Medical research

During his roller coaster rides in Holiday Park, Richard Rodriguez also made himself available as a research object for doctors and scientists. Both the German Aerospace Center in Cologne and the Aviation Medical Institute of the Air Force in Fürstenfeldbruck near Munich accompanied his journeys in order to record numerous data. The main focus was on expected changes in the regulatory system of the heart and circulation as well as changes in the skeleton. An examination after the trip revealed that Rodriguez, due to his stable reaction pattern and his autonomic nervous system, has a tendency to compensate for the stress. According to scientific assessments, only very few people have this ability.

Overview of the record runs

• 1977 - Coney Island Cyclone, USA - 104 hours
• 1978 - Swamp Fox, USA - 110 hours
• 1978 - Rebel Yell, USA - 124 hours
• 1979 - Roaring Tiger, USA - 128 hours
• 1979 - Big Dipper, England - 140 hours
• 1979 - Ghost Town Coaster, USA - 150 hours
• 1979 - PNE Flyer, Canada - 168 hours
• 1980 - Florida Hurricane, USA - 172 hours
• 1980 - Big Dipper, England - 209 hours
• 1981 - Super Manege, Canada - 220 hours
• 1982 - super vortex, Germany - 368 hours
• 1994 - Big Dipper, England - 549 hours
• 1998 - Big Dipper, England - 1000 hours (46 days)
• 2000 - Big Dipper, England - 2000 hours (3 months)
• 2001 - The Boss, USA - 100 days (day only)
• 2002 - GeForce Expedition, Germany - 104 days (day only)
• 2003 - Expedition GeForce and Superwirbel, Germany - 1940 hours
• 2007 - The Big One and Big Dipper, England - 2000 hours

Web links

• Detailed report at Coastersandmore
• Report at FAZ about the record run in 2002
• English-language report