Loyola Sets World Record For Crab Walking On Today Show

BALTIMORE, MD — Loyola University students did the crab walk Thursday morning in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most people crab walking at one time together. To achieve the record, at least 376 participants had to crab walk for two minutes and their butts could not touch the ground.

There were 494 people crab walking at Loyola, which now holds the world record, an official from Guinness World Records announced after 8:30 a.m.

NBC weatherman and Today show host Al Roker was on hand for the event, which was broadcast live on the Today show.

Roker's visit comes as part of "Rokerthon 3," his third whirlwind tour of the country, in which he delivers the forecast over the course of a week from spots around the nation.

This year he is visiting five college campuses and attempting to set world records at each stop.

To woo Roker to Baltimore, Loyola submitted a proposal for what type of world record it wanted to attempt. Its first idea was to have the largest crab feast on a college campus but that was modified to crab walking.

Next, the school created a video to teach people how to crab walk.

An official from the Guinness World Records had teams of people watching Thursday morning to make sure crab walkers did not touch the ground as they did their thing.

"They're going to do terrific," Loyola President Rev. Brian F. Linnane said on the Today show as hundreds of crab walkers readied for their record-breaking attempt on the quad.

The previous record was set at Northeastern University with 376 crab walkers, according to Roker.

As part of his visit, Roker delivered a $5,000 scholarship to a student at Loyola.

The visit to Loyola came after Roker went to Northern Michigan University, where students played the largest game of freeze tag; University of Oklahoma, where students formed the largest human lightning bolt and cloud; and University of Tennessee, where the school formed the "largest human letter."

Next, Roker heads to SUNY Oswego for the fifth day of Rokerthon 3, where students will attempt to make the world's longest conga line on ice.

Related: Al Roker, Loyola University Attempt World Record In Crab Walking

Image via Wikimedia Commons, released to public domain.