Is your name Ryan? You could help break a world record

People named Ryan are being invited to Minnesota this summer for a chance to make Guinness World Records history.

Mall of America is partnering with Ryan Meetup to host "Ryde the Ryan Coaster" on July 24, an event organizers say is designed to set the record for the most people sharing the same first name to consecutively ride a roller coaster.

Ryan Meetup spokesperson Ryan Fisher said organizers are aiming to keep coaster trains running for a full hour filled with participants named Ryan. “The official capacity of the Pepsi Orange Streak coaster is 1,000 Ryans per hour, so we'd love to have at least an entire hour of trains running with nothing but Ryans,” he said.

The gathering will take place at the Bloomington, Minnesota shopping center, where participants will first meet in the mall's Rotunda, temporarily renamed the "Rytunda," before parading into Nickelodeon Universe for the record attempt. Organizers are asking attendees to arrive between 6:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. local time to receive a name tag and join the festivities. Ryans will ride for free.

The celebration will continue afterward at The Fair on 4, which will host an official Ryan-themed afterparty.

The event immediately precedes the Ryan Baseball Classic on July 25, when hundreds of Ryans are expected to gather in downtown Minneapolis for a pregame celebration, an on-field parade at Target Field and a Minnesota Twins game against the Athletics.

Fisher said the concept builds on previous Ryan Meetup events that have transformed public spaces into name-specific gatherings, including hundreds of Ryans riding the R Train in New York City and others running up the Rocky Steps in Philadelphia, renamed the “Ryan Steps.”

USA TODAY reached out to Mall of America for additional comment.

From a neighborhood meetup to a national movement

The roller coaster challenge is the latest effort by Ryan Meetup, a not-for-profit organization run by and for people named Ryan.

According to the group, the idea began in February 2023 when a Brooklyn resident named Ryan posted flyers around her neighborhood inviting fellow Ryans to meet. Only three people attended the first gathering, but organizers say the meetup quickly grew after attracting media attention and larger crowds.

Since then, Ryan Meetup has hosted events in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Denver and Chicago while building a community that organizers say includes thousands of members. The group ultimately hopes to break the world record for the largest gathering of people sharing the same first name and someday host a large-scale event known as "RyanCon."

In addition to local meetups, the organization hosts Ryan-focused events throughout the year, from the annual Ryan Baseball Classic to themed gatherings such as Copa del Ryan, an all-Ryan World Cup watch party.

Fisher said each event is designed to create an instant connection among attendees. “When you walk into a Ryan Meetup, you instantly have hundreds of new friends and the ice is already broken - all because you know everyone else's name,” he said. “Ryan Meetups create instant community and have helped build new friend groups all over North America.”

Ryan meetup could join a long list of Guinness World Records

If successful, the Mall of America event would join the roughly 65,000 records tracked by Guinness World Records.

The organization traces its roots to the 1950s, when Guinness brewery executive Sir Hugh Beaver conceived the idea for a reference book that could settle pub debates. The first Guinness Book of World Records was published in 1955 and grew into one of the world's best-known collections of superlatives.

Today, Guinness World Records tracks achievements ranging from the world's tallest living man, Sultan Kösen, to highly specific accomplishments such as identifying Taylor Swift songs in under a minute.

Guinness received more than 57,000 record applications in 2023 alone. While successful record holders receive a certificate rather than prize money, earning a Guinness designation often brings international attention, a distinction Ryan Meetup hopes to secure with the Mall of America event this summer.

Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at [email protected], or on X @athompsonUSAT