Beat A World Record In Less Than 30 Seconds
Yes, it’s possible, believe it or not. We know, we aren’t all cut out to be Olympic world athletes like Usain Bolt, the current world record holder for the 100 and 200 metres, or Petra Felke, the world record holder for the women’s Javelin throw since 1986. But, does that mean we can’t be the best at something else? With a bit of effort, luck and drive, even you can become the next world record local superhero.
The Idea!
During a coffee break with our colleagues, we wondered whether we could break a legit world record at home, other than binge-watch a series or move our workout routine for tomorrow. We gathered a lot of information on the topic but needed to go a step further. After all, information has no relevance if it’s not supported by data. This way, we decided to do a side project and create a rank list of the top 30 world records you can try to break at home.
| Rank | Record | World Record | Setup Ease | Av. Cost | Years Since Last WR | Score |
| 1 | Most jumping jacks in 30 seconds | 68 | Easy | £0 | 1 | 9.8 |
| 2 | Keeping two balloons in the air using head. | 1 min 9 sec | Easy | £1 | 2 | 9.6 |
| 3 | Farthest distance to blow a pea | 12m 58 cm | Easy | £1.19 | 2 | 9.6 |
| 4 | Most sticky notes stuck on face in 30 seconds | 38 | Easy | £1.45 | 2 | 9.6 |
| 5 | Fastest time to arrange the alphabet from a can of alphabet soup | 3 min 21 sec | Easy | £1.90 | 2 | 9.5 |
| 6 | Most paper straws in the beard | 399 | Easy | £7 | 0 | 9.5 |
| 7 | Fastest time to eat a burrito | 35.26 sec | Easy | £6 | 1 | 9.4 |
| 8 | Most self portrait photos (selfies) in 1 hour | 1449 | Easy | £0 | 5 | 9.2 |
| 9 | Most jelly eaten with chopsticks in 1 minute | 716g | Easy | £5 | 3 | 9.2 |
| 10 | Most tea bags thrown into mugs in 30 seconds | 7 | Easy | £5 | 3 | 9.2 |
| 11 | Fastest time to drink a bottle of ketchup through a straw | 33 sec | Easy | £3 | 4 | 9.1 |
| 12 | Longest time to control a table tennis ball on a table tennis bat handle | 18 min 44 sec | Easy | £10 | 1 | 9.1 |
| 13 | Fastest time to eat a slice of toast | 8.47 sec | Easy | £1.50 | 6 | 8.9 |
| 14 | Fastest time to eat a Big Mac meal | 59.39 sec | Easy | £5.29 | 7 | 8.5 |
| 15 | Most mugs held in one hand | 21 | Easy | £22 | 0 | 8.4 |
| 16 | Most underpants pulled on in 30 seconds | 17 pairs | Easy | £20 | 1 | 8.3 |
| 17 | Fastest time to eat a 12-inch pizza using a knife and fork | 23.62 sec | Easy | £13.99 | 5 | 8.2 |
| 18 | Tallest toilet paper tower in 30 seconds | 28 | Easy | £10 | 7 | 8.1 |
| 19 | Most dominoes stacked in 30 seconds | 48 | Easy | £24 | 1 | 8 |
| 20 | Most socks put on one foot in 30 seconds | 28 | Easy | £20 | 3 | 8 |
| 21 | Most Ferrero Rocher eaten in 1 minute | 9 | Easy | £13.50 | 8 | 7.7 |
| 22 | Largest bubblegum bubble blown in diameter | 50.8 cm | Easy | £1 | 16 | 7.4 |
| 23 | Most football touches In 30 Seconds | 252 | Easy | £15 | 10 | 7.3 |
| 24 | Most eggs cracked with one hand in a minute | 32 | Easy | £4.50 | 9 | 5.5 |
| 25 | Most four-leafed clovers picked in 1 hour | 166 | Hard | £0 | 2 | 6.7 |
| 26 | Most spoons balanced on the face at one time in 1 minute | 31 | Easy | £40 | 7 | 5.9 |
| 27 | Most lemons caught blindfolded in 30 seconds (team of two) | 40 | Hard | £20 | 0 | 5.5 |
| 28 | Most Smarties/M&Ms eaten in 1 minute blindfolded using chopsticks | 65 | Hard | £1.50 | 9 | 5.5 |
| 29 | Most wet sponge hits to the face in 30 seconds | 43 | Hard | £30 | 0 | 4.8 |
| 30 | Most amount of grapes eaten in 1 minute | 133 | Hard | £30 | 19 | 1.8 |
The Methodology
As we mentioned, there are some fantastic achievements from people out there that are on the edge of a miracle. This time, our goal was to point out the records that everyone can try to break and search for other unofficial world record communities. We compiled a list of world records that are funny, cost-savvy, low-impact and low risk, based on the skills of an average person.
To calculate the easiest world records to beat, we analysed three main factors to determine the cheapest and “easiest” ones including setup ease, cost estimate and years since the world record was set (assuming the sooner, the easier to break). For example, at first glance, it may seem easy for you to balance two balloons in the air, or take over 1000 selfies in one hour. Well, think twice, because things do not always turn out the way we think they will, and that was proved so many times.
The Moral of the Story
So, how about becoming the next Ashrita Furman? This man has set over 600 Guinness World Records in his life and is still holding over 190 of them. Most importantly, he’s currently holding the record for “Most Guinness World Records”! Well, it might take some time to get there, but we can all start somewhere, right?
In the meantime, we encourage you to try some of these records attempts. However, make sure to stay real and reasonable to yourself, because some ideas seem easier than they are. If you decide to attempt some of the featured records, prepare and practise in advance. Approach lightly to the challenge and do it wisely.
We guarantee that you’ll create a different, memorable experience to share with your network – things we might lack the time or drive for these days. Remember, there are no failed attempts – what matters is to have a good laugh and enjoy the process.
Additional Info on those that Hold the above World Records
| Rank | Record | Current World Record Holder | Location |
| 1 | Most jumping jacks in 30 seconds | Simon Idio | UK |
| 2 | Keeping two balloons in the air using head. | Abhinabha Tangerman | Portugal |
| 3 | Farthest distance to blow a pea | David Rush | USA |
| 4 | Most sticky notes stuck on face in 30 seconds | Silvio Sabba | Italy |
| 5 | Fastest time to arrange the alphabet from a can of alphabet soup | Cody Jones | US |
| 6 | Most paper straws in the beard | Anatole Ivanow | New Zealand |
| 7 | Fastest time to eat a burrito | Leah Shutkever | UK |
| 8 | Most self portrait photos (selfies) in one hour | Patrick Peterson | USA |
| 9 | Most jelly eaten with chopsticks in 1 minute | Andre Ortolf | Germany |
| 10 | Most tea bags thrown into mugs in 30 seconds | Ashrita Furman | US |
| 11 | Fastest time to drink a bottle of ketchup through a straw | Dustin Phillips | USA |
| 12 | Longest time to control a table tennis ball on a table tennis bat handle | Sha Shucheng | China |
| 13 | Fastest time to eat a slice of toast | Anthony Falzon | Malta |
| 14 | Fastest time to eat a Big Mac meal | so-called The Essex Animal | UK |
| 15 | Most mugs held in one hand | Rob Clarke | UK |
| 16 | Most underpants pulled on in 30 seconds | Toshiaki Katsuga | Japan |
| 17 | Fastest time to eat a 12-inch pizza using a knife and fork | Kelvin Medina | Philippines |
| 18 | Tallest toilet paper tower in 30 seconds | Silvio Sabba | Italy |
| 19 | Most dominoes stacked in 30 seconds | [1] Silvio Sabba, [2] Rocco Mercurio | Italy |
| 20 | Most socks put on one foot in 30 seconds | Paolo Durdik | Slovakia |
| 21 | Most Ferrero Rocher eaten in 1 minute | [1]Peter Czerwinski / [2] Patrick Bertoletti | [1] Canada / [2] USA |
| 22 | Largest bubblegum bubble blown | Chad Fell | US |
| 23 | Most football touches In 30 Seconds | Parker Kuklinski | US |
| 24 | Most eggs cracked with one hand in a minute | Ross Mc Curdy | USA |
| 25 | Most four-leafed clovers picked in one hour | Katie Borka | USA |
| 26 | Most spoons balanced on the face at one time. | Dalibor Jablanovic | Serbia |
| 27 | Most lemons caught blindfolded in 30 seconds (team of two) | Andre Ortolf/David Schramm | Germany |
| 28 | Most Smarties/M&Ms eaten in one minute blindfolded using chopsticks | Kathryn Ratcliffe | China |
| 29 | Most wet sponge hits to the face in 30 seconds | David Rush | USA |
| 30 | Most amount of Grapes eaten in 1 Minute | Mat Hand | UK |
That’s the basic stuff. If you want to know a bit more on specific records, especially once you could try to beat at home, either alone or in pair, have a look at World Records to Try at Home and best of luck if you do intend to try and break some of these records.
Source References:
GWR at home official page
GWR 2019 magazine edition
GWR Official YouTube Channel
RecordSetter.com – Unofficial World Record Submission Platform
ebay.com – for pricings