WASHINGTON, United States. PRNewswire. September 11, 2012. (English). -In an effort to engage children in both fitness and recycling, National Geographic Kids magazine will attempt to break two Guinness World Records® titles this fall. Through the magazine’s Run for the Planet program, in coordination with the Marine Corps Marathon Healthy Kids Fun Run, people worldwide will try to set the Guinness World Records achievement for most people to run 100 meters in 24 hours. Participants will also send athletic shoes to NG Kids; they will be tied together to break the record for longest chain of shoes, then recycled into athletic surfaces.

Runners can complete their 100 meters anytime between 12 noon ET, Friday, Oct. 26, and 12 noon ET Saturday, Oct. 27. Participants can bring athletic shoes to events during that period or send them to NG Kids before Nov. 9. Five thousand participants are needed to set the running record; the shoe chain record stands at 24,962.

To pledge to participate and get rules for both record attempts, visit kids.nationalgeographic.com/run-for-the-planet/.

Top athletes and celebrities are contributing their own old athletic shoes to show their commitment to encouraging kids to do something good for their health and the planet. They include Eli Manning of the 2012 Super Bowl-winning New York Giants; singer Taylor Swift; Boston Bruin Andrew Ference; race car driver Danica Patrick; boy band One Direction; and Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard.

“The early response by kids to claim NG Kids’ sixth and seventh Guinness World Records titles is extraordinary,” said Melina Bellows, executive vice president and chief creative officer of National Geographic Books, Kids and Family.

The athletic shoes will go to Nike Reuse-A-Shoe, which recycles shoes into materials to build athletic surfaces. If this year’s goal of 12,500 pairs is met, it will be enough to create five basketball courts.

The five Guinness World Records titles already set by NG Kids include Most Items of Clothing Collected for Recycling (33,088 items, in 2009) and Most People Doing Jumping Jacks in 24 Hours (300,265 people, set in 2011). First lady Michelle Obama participated in the 2011 feat, kicking off the attempt with one minute of jumping jacks on the White House lawn.