Don Helbig

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (April 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Don Helbig (born 1962 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is best known the world record holder for roller coaster riding, having taken nearly 12,000 rides on The Racer, a wooden roller coaster at Kings Island amusement park, about 30 miles north of Cincinnati. He has also been a broadcaster and media relations director working in minor league ice hockey, winning the Ken McKenzie Award in 2003.

Helbig began his record roller coaster pursuit in the summer of 1981. Employeed at the time as a novelty vendor for the Cincinnati Reds, he was suddenly faced with a lot of free time when Major League baseball players went on strike for nearly two months. Initially, Helbig wanted to attain the single day park record for rides on the Racer, a record which he set with 112 on September 2, 1987 (broken July, 5th 2007 with 113 rides by Kyle Risner And Tyler Stebelton]) and from there he decided to see how many rides he could get that summer.

The endeavor brought some attention from the local news media on his milestone rides (1,000, 2,000, etc.). It also attracted local youngsters to join him on his quest, most notably the Siedler brothers, Bill and Bob. Helbig continued to ride regularly at the park throughout the 1980s, while mixing in time for several thousand rides on the legendary Beast roller coaster and becoming an avid follower of Kings Island's live shows. He was a member of American Coaster Enthusiasts and was a founding member of the since disbanded American Summer Show Enthusiasts Society]. Though Helbig rides The Racer with less frequency these days, he continues to visit the park on a regular basis, often accompanied by his daughter, Maria.

In 2005, Kings Island held a "Don Helbig Day" in honor of his 1,000th visit to the park. Helbig has appeared live on Good Morning America, been on Entertainment Tonight, and has been featured in the pages of numerous newspapers and media outlets including Star Magazine and USA Today.