University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC track and field assistant coach Dylan Sorensen will attempt to break (again) the record for fastest mile run while dribbling a basketball.
Running For Positive Change, And A World Record
November 13, 2020 | Cross Country, Track & Field
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The first time was a bit of a fluke, a last-minute way to celebrate a landmark birthday in trying times. This time, Dylan Sorensen is running with a plan and with a cause.
Sorensen, an assistant track & field/cross country coach at UNC, broke the world record for running a mile while dribbling a basketball in May, on his 30th birthday. With most local athletic facilities closed by the pandemic, he went to an asphalt track at a local middle school with a ball he bought the day before and ran a record 4:37 mile. He'd been watching "The Last Dance" so he wore a Michael Jordan jersey.
Six months later, Sorensen is running to regain the record, since broken several times and currently standing at 4:33.75. This time he'll run on the North Carolina track, wearing spikes (TBA on the jersey) and dribbling an official UNC Nike ball that he's had time to get used to. Sorensen is dedicating his effort to raise funds for the FORevHer Tar Heels program, which benefits UNC's female student-athletes through The Rams Club.
"Between the global pandemic, significant racial injustice, and ever-increasing issues surrounding mental health, we wanted to identify and benefit a cause that addresses all of these issues, among others," Sorensen said. "We believe the opportunity that our University and our Athletic Department provides to all student-athletes, and to female student-athletes in particular, is an education that can lead to positive change in the world.
"I coach the women's cross country / track & field middle and long-distance runners, so the FORevHER Tar Heels campaign is already something we were excited about. Our goal is to continually build an environment in which our women are confident around one another; one in which they are empowered and supported by one another to make a positive change – whether that's right now for them in a race or long after they're done running. The FORevHER Tar Heels fund champions that environment, one that builds strong women who can address the issues we're facing in the world today."
Weather permitting, Sorensen – whose athletic resume includes both "All-America" and "professional" – will take his shot at the record on Nov. 18, a week before the start of basketball season at UNC.
Carolina fans and Sorensen supporters are encouraged to donate to the FORevHER Tar Heels fund in honor of his run. A suggested donation is $15 – one dollar for every women's varsity sport at UNC – but any amount is welcomed and appreciated. To donate, click here.
Sorensen, an assistant track & field/cross country coach at UNC, broke the world record for running a mile while dribbling a basketball in May, on his 30th birthday. With most local athletic facilities closed by the pandemic, he went to an asphalt track at a local middle school with a ball he bought the day before and ran a record 4:37 mile. He'd been watching "The Last Dance" so he wore a Michael Jordan jersey.
Six months later, Sorensen is running to regain the record, since broken several times and currently standing at 4:33.75. This time he'll run on the North Carolina track, wearing spikes (TBA on the jersey) and dribbling an official UNC Nike ball that he's had time to get used to. Sorensen is dedicating his effort to raise funds for the FORevHer Tar Heels program, which benefits UNC's female student-athletes through The Rams Club.
"Between the global pandemic, significant racial injustice, and ever-increasing issues surrounding mental health, we wanted to identify and benefit a cause that addresses all of these issues, among others," Sorensen said. "We believe the opportunity that our University and our Athletic Department provides to all student-athletes, and to female student-athletes in particular, is an education that can lead to positive change in the world.
"I coach the women's cross country / track & field middle and long-distance runners, so the FORevHER Tar Heels campaign is already something we were excited about. Our goal is to continually build an environment in which our women are confident around one another; one in which they are empowered and supported by one another to make a positive change – whether that's right now for them in a race or long after they're done running. The FORevHER Tar Heels fund champions that environment, one that builds strong women who can address the issues we're facing in the world today."
Weather permitting, Sorensen – whose athletic resume includes both "All-America" and "professional" – will take his shot at the record on Nov. 18, a week before the start of basketball season at UNC.
Carolina fans and Sorensen supporters are encouraged to donate to the FORevHER Tar Heels fund in honor of his run. A suggested donation is $15 – one dollar for every women's varsity sport at UNC – but any amount is welcomed and appreciated. To donate, click here.
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