A 100-hour nonstop baseball game is coming to KC. It’s for a good cause (and a record)

Labor Day weekend in Kansas City will look a lot different this year, at least for some families.

For more than four full days, baseball players and volunteers will be trickling into Macken Park in North Kansas City for a 100-hour game, as the EndlessGame Foundation and its volunteers attempt to break the Guinness World Record for longest marathon baseball game.

The game will run from around 8 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31, to noon on Monday, Sept. 4. (It may vary by an hour in either direction.) In total: four days, four hours.

The quest for a 100-hour game extends beyond the world record. The foundation is focused on giving back to the Kansas City community by attempting to raise $300,000 through sponsorships and donations in conjunction with the game, which will then be distributed to seven different charities and organizations.

“It’s a way to do good and show that, look, the world isn’t all gloom and doom,” EndlessGame chair Scott Reinardy said. “We all have other jobs, we all have other responsibilities. And, you know, this is strictly for the good of our community and not for us individually.”

Reinardy’s idea for the game originated during a Negro Leagues Baseball Museum tournament in August of 2022.

After playing tournament games throughout the day, and another baseball league game at night, Reinardy wondered what the longest baseball game ever played was.

He looked up the record when he got home, finding it to be 83 hours and 13 minutes. Reinardy then called his close friend, teammate and the board’s vice chair, Jerry Weaver. He expressed to him he thought they could break that record.

Although Reinardy described Weaver as a determined individual and one that when he “gets an idea ... can’t escape it,” the latter said no. Weaver said his wife would kill him if he took the project on.

Two weeks later, Reinardy got a call from Weaver. He couldn’t get the idea out of his head and wanted to give it a shot.

“I’m constantly thinking of ways to make (baseball) enjoyable,” Weaver said. “This is something the wives can get involved with, the cousins, you know, everybody in the family tree can be involved.”

Next it was time to set a goal. The two agreed that 100 hours and $300,000 raised was the right target, rather than just slightly trying to eclipse the previous record of 83 hours.

That previous record, set in August of 2019 at Sherwood Park in Alberta, Canada, had the goal of raising $250,000 — it raised around $230,000, which was then matched by a couple for a grand total of $460,000, according to a video posted from that event.

Reinardy and Weaver also added five more people to the foundation’s board who they believed could help them achieve this goal.

This included North Kansas City Parks and Recreation director Victoria Ressler, who will let them use Macken Park and its lights for free. Another member is Rob Humble, an accountant who serves as the board’s treasurer.

The game will consist of two teams named “Courage” and “Strength” with 29 players apiece and a manager, who can also play.

Those interested can support the organization by signing up as a volunteer, purchasing gear or donating — all of which can be done through the foundation’s website (endlessgame.org).

To find players, Weaver contacted a few people who helped him start “Backyard Baseball,” a baseball league for players getting back into the game, and others from the 55- and 65-and up senior baseball leagues he and Reinardy are in.

There was so much interest in the game that the two actually had to limit the number of people who could play.

The teams will rotate between three groups of 10 players that will play for four hours and then rest for eight. Outside of a participation fee of $50, the board asked for players to contribute in other ways as well.

“Sponsorship or donation, so we could raise money on (the charities’) behalf,” Reinardy said. “We were very selective on the players. We wanted people who are committed, we wanted people who we knew would show up.”

For a Guinness representative to attend, the group had to raise around $20,000 in operating costs. With the help of sponsors and donations, they hit their mark.

That, however, wasn’t the biggest challenge. Instead, Reinardy said it was that each player must stay on site the entire time, which means no venturing out to the parking lot for a walk or to the nearby spectator food trucks. Sleeping arrangements also had to be made.

This caused a few players to drop out because of other commitments throughout the weekend. But Reinardy and Weaver were able to find replacements and even partnered with multiple RV companies, who lent their vehicles as potential sleeping quarters for the weekend.

Additionally, volunteers will bring food, water, laundry and more to the participants. Reinardy noted at least 100 volunteers will be involved throughout the weekend.

And they’re doing it all without a paycheck.

“You’re going to have to love it, you’re going to have to show up if you’re going to be a scorekeeper for four hours or if you’re going to be an umpire,” Reinardy said. “We’re not going to change the world, we understand that. But gosh, we played all this baseball anyway, why not turn it into something that reaches beyond us.”

All of the money raised will be distributed to seven charities and organizations: Operation Breakthrough, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Gift of Life, Veterans Community Project, C You in the Major Leagues, North Kansas City Parks and Recreation and North Kansas City Animal Shelter.

Two of the charities Reinardy and Weaver had personal connections to were Children’s Mercy and Gift of Life.

In July of 2015, after suffering from heart fibrillations and shortness of breath, Reinardy was diagnosed with a rare virus called giant cell myocarditis. He was notified he needed a heart transplant.

Prior to the procedure, Reinardy said his left ventricle, which is responsible for pumping blood throughout the body, was at 20% capacity — a range of 50% to 70% is seen as “normal,” per the Mayo Clinic. His right one, which pumps blood to his lungs, was also at a reduced capacity. Without the transplant, he said he would’ve died.

After being placed in the intensive care unit and hooked up to multiple machines to keep him alive, Reinardy received a heart — five days after joining the transplant list. Reinardy’s transplant surgeon told him that there had only been about 12 cases of his virus nationwide in the past five years, Reinardy recalled.

Weaver and Reinardy connected through that experience because Weaver’s son has had two liver transplants and stayed at Children’s Mercy. Gift of Life played a role in each securing their transplants.

Through those experiences, Weaver and Reinardy wanted to give back.

“All you have to do is go to our website and you see the smile on that little girl’s face from Children’s Mercy,” Weaver said. “No matter how tired you are, you go, ‘OK this is why I’m doing it, this is why I enjoy doing it.’”

As for the game itself, taking place on Labor Day Weekend, the foundation has entertainment for spectators who attend: bands, bouncy houses for kids, a wine and beer garden, food trucks and more.

Prior to the game, Tonganoxie native and “Survivor: Guatemala” winner Danni Boatwright will throw out the first pitch to Ressler. Additionally, country singer Brooke Waters, from the local group “Wyatt and Waters,” will perform the national anthem.

Team Courage manager Henry Cassmeyer is most excited for the opportunity to raise money for charity — and said breaking the record is just the cherry on top.

Cassmeyer met Weaver five years ago through the Backyard Baseball League. Now, Cassmeyer is the manager of the league. He’s also well aware of the challenge at hand.

“I will regularly play two games on Sunday, sometimes three. So playing four, six, eight hours, I do, but I also then have some time off to recoup,” Cassmeyer said. “That’s when it hit, like, ‘Wow, this is going to be a major undertaking and it’s going to be quite a toll.’”

Reinardy agreed that playing for 100 hours is the biggest obstacle they face. He doesn’t think he’ll get much sleep throughout the four-plus days.

Nevertheless, Reinardy says the show must go on. He said that lightning is the only thing that will stop the game, and if a player is injured, a medical professional will check on them on the field. Reinardy added that the average age of the players is around 60.

More than anything, Reinardy is excited for the chance to make a real difference.

“Will we break the record? I can’t say for certain, but I have great confidence that we’ll give it one heck of a go,” Reinardy said. “If you insert a little good and help people, and give them a little hope and promise and put a smile on their face, why wouldn’t you try?”