Trey hops off to seek a world record

MICHELLE COOKE

Atreyu Bennett's ultimate goal is to appear in Japan's Ninja Warrior television show, but for now he'll settle on beating a Guiness World Record.

Atreyu, known as Trey, is being flown to Rome by Guinness World Records after he beat the record for hopping on one foot on a moving treadmill in a New Zealand television show last year.

The Ellerslie resident first got the idea when he saw an advertisement on internet auction site Trade Me.

He wrote to Guinness World Records, saying he would be keen to do anything physical. The organisers gave him the option of hopping on one foot on a treadmill for the longest time possible or putting underpants on and taking them off as many times as possible within a minute.

He preferred the first offer – and beat the record without any training.

His time of three minutes and 10 seconds on a treadmill set to run at 6.5kmh has since been beaten by one-legged Australian Will Elrick, who lasted four minutes.

"He smashed mine but it's all good – I can still smash his," Trey says.

The 20-year-old thrillseeker has been training hard and his ultimate goal is to hop for six minutes.

Trey sets off for Rome on Sunday, and that's about all he knows. He doesn't know where he is staying or if he is competing against anyone.

"It's exciting this way," he says. "It keeps me intrigued."

He does know that if he hadn't put himself out there in the first place, he wouldn't have had the chance.

"I'm very aware that there are thousands of people who can beat what I can do," he says.

"It's a testament that you should just get out there and do it – you have to grab these opportunities."

Trey is nabbing all the opportunities that come his way.

He decided last year to walk Ninety Mile Beach and he did – alone and in a week.

While he likes to live life one day at a time, he'll continue to seek adventure.

He may end up making a career out of setting records, he says, or he may find his way on to the Ninja Warrior show.

- © Fairfax NZ News