There were also thousands of miles of "stunts," his term for the 100-mile races and 24-hour runs, often known only to his wife and son, that satisfied his need for personal tests.

PlayStation claimed the title of world's fastest sailboat in New Zealand last March when Fossett and crew nailed a 24-hour run of 580 miles, the quickest ever under sail.

He recruited a small team of people and put on the first Relay For Life event in 1986, known as the City of Destiny Classic 24-Hour Run Against Cancer.

IAU events include World Championships for 50 Km and 100 Km road races, for 24-hour run and for ultramarathon trail running (24h World Challenge and World Trail Challenge).

Launched less than two months ago, the boat has already claimed the title as the world's quickest oceangoing sailboat, having set the record last month for the fastest 24-hour run: a purposeful 625.7 miles, an average speed over 26 knots, on a trip from Spain to the Bahamas.

Dr. Wettergreen said testing all of the components of the Hyperion system, such as the computer algorithms that guide the robot's choices, are as important as doing a number of 24-hour runs with the robot on the frigid desert of Devon Island.

In 1980, he ran in the Wrentham State School 24-Hour Run, traversing 120 miles in 24 hours throughout 31 cities in southeastern Massachusetts, ending in Foxboro Stadium during the half-time of a New England Patriots football game.

The testing of the fans was one of the most comprehensive ever, covering flowrate and pressure, power measurements, sound levels, bearing vibration, x-raying of all impeller components, high-temperature tests at 200 C for 2 hours, impeller strain, and 24-hour run tests for reversals.