Guinness World Record fever is also said to have recently gripped Nigeria, where many people have tested their bodies to win a title, even going so far as to go temporarily blind in order to be recognised.
“Please, enough record-A-thons,” Guinness World Records (GWR) tweeted last Tuesday in response to another suggestion, the BBC reported. We love record enthusiasts, but we encourage you to get a team-sanctioned record title before attempting these marathons!”
We love the excitement of record racing, but we’d recommend getting a record title approved by our team before attempting those marathon records!
— Guinness World Records (@GWR) July 12, 2023
The organization was forced to speak out during the week to remind people to get their records approved before attempting to break them after a wave swept Nigeria after a kitchen record was broken by a woman in her country would have made proud by cooking for 93 hours and 11 minutes at a time.
But while the country is reportedly seeing a significant increase in requirements for GWR – from more fried “puff pastry” pastries to longer reading times to promote culture – some people are putting themselves at risk by choosing to go it alone .
According to the BBC, one of them, Tembu Ebere, developed health problems in particular, including swollen face and eyes, a headache and temporary vision loss for 45 minutes after crying non-stop for a week to show young people there are no limits.
A second woman reportedly collapsed after attempting to secure the title of longest massage. However, she also went undetected for not signing up before completing her 50-hour massage marathon.
This reminder from GWR aims to avoid disappointment and to monitor the records so that they are reached in a safe way. For example, the Longest Kiss category was reportedly removed after many people collapsed trying to break it.