Fog delays skydiver aiming for 200 jumps today

Kevin Burkart wants to jump out of an airplane 200 times today. Fog and clouds

are hampering

delayed the start of his crazy stunt.

UPDATE 11:15 a.m.: Burkart completed his first jump of the day shortly after 11 a.m. If he aims to hit 200 before dark, he's got to make about 20 jumps per hour.

UPDATE 2:35 p.m.: Things are really rolling now. He's got 50 jumps in the can.

UPDATE 10:30 p.m.: Looks like the late start was too much too overcome. Burkart's Twitter stream indicates the team was calling it a night at only 150 jumps.

For Burkart, the skydiving marathon is a way to raise money for Parkinson's research, a cause he took up after his dad was diagnosed with the disease in 1999.

He's hoping to do the jumps at Skydive Twin Cities in Baldwin, Wis.

Burkart wrote a touching story about his dad's experience.

It was 7:00am on a Saturday morning. July 31, 1999. I was a busy 28 year old professional living in the Twin Cities. I was late to meet my friends at the boat launch on the Mississippi River. We were putting in for a weekend of boating and camping on the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers. I hadn't spoken to my Dad much that summer. Not as much as I would have liked. And for some reason, something was nagging at me that I needed to call him. So, schedule aside, I phoned him. His wife Monica answered. I told her I had to talk to Dad and tell him I loved him. She said okay, I'll put him on right away. When he got on, I noticed she stayed on the phone. And I knew something wasn't quite right. And indeed, he cried.

He told me the day before, Friday, he'd been diagnosed with Parkinson Disease and how did I know to call him and tell him I loved him?

Burkart did 100 jumps in a day in 2008, raising $40,000. You can follow his progress today on Twitter and Facebook.

Photo courtesy 200 Perfect Jumps

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