Buzz
Events like our yearly marathons and the renowned Ironman Triathlon are brutal, exhausting tests that showcase what we can achieve when pushed to the brink. These challenges reveal that with focus and preparation, we might be capable of remarkable, almost superhuman feats.
The individuals featured below have taken this idea to sometimes outlandish levels. In fact, any typical cautionary advice to not attempt these feats at home would be entirely unnecessary in these cases.
1073. Days Spent Living Beneath the Waves
The Jules Undersea Lodge, located off the coast of Key Largo, Florida, was advertised as the world's sole underwater hotel. We featured it in a list of undersea accommodations you could actually stay in a few years ago, never expecting anyone would be daring or reckless enough to take us up on the idea.
In late 2014, biologists Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain completed a remarkable 10-week stay at the Lodge, narrowly surpassing a 22-year-old record set by NASA astronaut Richard Presley at the same location, though he had the excuse of preparing for an extended stay in space. The instructors from Rhone State (Tennessee) Community College saw it as an excellent opportunity to deepen their understanding of marine life, enhance their teaching, and incidentally break a longstanding record.
The duo spent their days diving (or, more accurately, submerged) and relaxing in their cramped three-room quarters. Among the insightful findings: Hot Pockets cook in a microwave much faster under pressure and tend to explode.
9438. Days Spent Living in Space
In early 2016, American astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth after spending 340 days aboard the International Space Station, setting a new US record for consecutive days in space. However, his partner, Mikhail Kornienko, though undoubtedly proud of Kelly’s feat, did not participate in the celebrations. Mikhail is Russian, and Russia has long been a pioneer in enduring space missions.
At least four Russian cosmonauts have spent over a year in space, starting with a 1987 mission aboard the now-defunct Mir Space Station, which was far smaller and less accommodating than the current International Space Station. But the true record-holder in space endurance is Valeri Polyakov, who spent a staggering 438 consecutive days aboard Mir between 1994 and 1995.
Remarkably, Polyakov stepped out of his spacecraft upon landing, and subsequent physical and mental evaluations revealed that he was in excellent health, despite (or perhaps due to) the more relaxed environment aboard Mir. Russian cosmonauts were known to drink alcohol and even smoke cigarettes while stationed on the old space station.
8264. Hours Without Sleep
In 1965, a high school student named Randy Gardner, under the supervision of Stanford University researchers, set a record that still stands to this day for one significant reason: He stayed awake for over 11 consecutive days, without the aid of stimulants.
Despite somehow managing to beat one of his researchers in a pinball game on the 10th day, the physical and mental toll on Randy was severe. By day three, he struggled with speech and coordination, and by day five, he experienced hallucinations and paranoia. By day 11, his condition was described as follows: “Expressionless face, speech slow and monotone; he had to be encouraged to speak at all. His focus was minimal, and his cognitive abilities had significantly declined. During a serial sevens test, where the participant starts with the number 100 and subtracts seven each time, Gardner reached 65 (only five subtractions) before halting. When asked why, he stated that he couldn’t remember what he was supposed to be doing.”
Despite a few claims of surpassing this record in the years following, these attempts are not officially recognized by Guinness, and no further attempts will be allowed. The record is no longer listed to prevent encouraging others to try to break it.
786. Hours of Continuous Running
In 2012, New Zealand runner Kim Allan made a serious attempt to break the 486-kilometer (302 mi) continuous running record set by American Pam Reed. Though she ran for over 85 hours, Allan fell short after suffering disturbing hallucinations and losing all of her toenails. Despite this setback, she returned the following year and succeeded, running 499 kilometers (310 mi) in just over 86 hours.
Interestingly, Ms. Allan—47 years old at the time of her record-breaking run—has never been particularly fond of running and only started the sport in 2010 as a way to challenge her own physical and mental limits. A former professional jockey, she was inspired to push her boundaries after a devastating leg break in 2003 when she was trampled by a horse.
Kim says, “I swore then, I’m never going to take for granted the ability to get out of bed and walk.” Fittingly, her record-breaking run served as a charitable event, raising money for individuals with spinal injuries.
622. Minutes Underwater Without Air
With a PhD in medicine, a mastery of yoga, and a truly remarkable name, Stig Severinsen has devoted much of his life to the art of breathing. But not just the average type of breathing we all do—his career now revolves around teaching others how to breathe better. After years of breaking diving records for both depth and time (with and without fins), Stig made an unparalleled achievement in 2012: He stayed underwater for 22 full minutes, unaided.
In his workshops, which he calls 'Breatheology Workshops,' he teaches a form of underwater meditation. While it may sound risky, it’s this practice that he claims helps him 'laugh in the face of pain' and remain calm under water for the length of a typical television sitcom.
It likely won’t shock you to learn that he is still a multiple world record holder. In 2010, using only a swimming suit and goggles, Stig swam 72 meters (236 ft) under ice, smashing the previous record of 14.5 meters (48 ft). In fact, he more than quadrupled the former record.
548. Hours in Virtual Reality
Some records are bound to be broken, and while this one will likely be surpassed sooner rather than later, it’s easy to imagine that only a certain kind of person would be willing to set the bar. In January 2016, Thorsten Wiedemann, artistic director for a prominent German gaming festival, hooked himself into an HTC Vive virtual reality rig and immersed himself in a fully digital environment for a continuous two days.
Accompanied by VR designer Sara Lisa Vogl as his 'guide,' Wiedemann filled his virtual days with various activities: playing tennis solo, wandering around strange planetscapes created by Vogl’s team, launching off colossal ski ramps, and hunting down virtual targets—just your typical activities.
And yes, he slept—for two and a half hours each morning, in a cave on one of Vogl’s planets. The aim of this experience was to explore the sensation of falling asleep and waking up in virtual reality. With the advancement of VR technology, proponents predict that in the future, more and more people will spend significant time in virtual worlds. Vogl and Wiedemann’s experiment/performance, named 'Disconnected,' was streamed live to a massive gaming audience, who quickly gave him the nickname '48 Hours Vive Marathon Guy.' Despite experiencing a panic attack around the 25-hour mark—likely due to the shock of waking up in VR—Wiedemann completed his challenge without any major adverse effects.
276. Hours in Continuous Flight
The Solar Impulse 2 is a groundbreaking feat of technology, a fully solar-powered aircraft equipped with over 17,000 cells that enable it to stay airborne for extended periods, almost indefinitely. Apart from weather conditions, the only limitation to its perpetual flight is the endurance of its pilots. During its 2016 global journey designed to highlight the potential of renewable energy, this endurance was put to the test.
Although pilot Bertrand Piccard piloted the Solar Impulse 2 across the Atlantic—the first-ever successful solar-powered transatlantic flight—it was his teammate Andre Borschberg who shattered records for solo, continuous flight with a jaw-dropping 76-hour non-stop stretch from Japan to Hawaii. Pilots can only catch brief naps in the cramped cabin of the plane, which remains unheated and unpressurized.
The expedition began in March 2015 but faced multiple delays due to persistent bad weather. As of now, the team is expected to finish their journey back in Abu Dhabi, the starting point, soon, provided weather conditions cooperate.
311. Hours Playing Wimbledon Championship Match
At the 2010 Wimbledon Championship, John Isner triumphed over Nicolas Mahut to progress in the tournament. To call this match intense would be an understatement. While most entries on this list describe continuous feats, this match stands out perhaps because it was interrupted—twice—due to darkness.
In other words, this historic showdown between the two men took THREE days to finish, spanning an incredible 11 hours and 5 minutes of actual playing time across seven monumental sets. The match had to be paused on the first day (a rare occurrence), and the second day alone exceeded the duration of any prior Wimbledon match, setting a new record for the longest tennis match played in one day. One can only imagine the mental and physical challenges both players had to face when returning for the third day of play.
Mahut, who was ranked 148th in the world at the time of his historic loss, made a remarkable comeback in the years that followed. He won several titles and climbed to a career-high ranking of 37th. After their legendary match, he and Isner forged a close friendship, which is heartwarming—but also a bit surprising, given how much they'd endured together.
441. Minutes Without Blinking
In the Northern Territory of Australia—an area known for hosting unusual events—there was a competition in 2011 designed to raise funds for a local boy in need of a new wheelchair. The event was a staring contest, open to everyone from toddlers to adults, and it was named “So You Think You Can Stare.”
The final showdown came down to Fergal 'Eyesore' Fleming and Steven 'Stare Master' Stagg, who both smashed the previous Guinness record of 17 minutes. However, despite being the favorite (though it's unclear who exactly favored him), Stagg blinked at 41 minutes and 59 seconds, leaving Fleming as the undisputed champion.
Fleming admitted that by the 35-minute mark, he felt as if his eyeballs were being tattooed, enduring another grueling seven minutes before finally blinking. This man truly embodies his nickname, and he's sure to become a dominant force in the 'Staring Contest Circuit,' which, according to our sources, is indeed a real thing.
115. Days (Or 70+ Years) Without Food Or Water
Next, we turn to the curious case of Prahlad Jani, an elderly man from India who claims to have little use for food or drink. In fact, he insists he doesn't need either of them, and astonishingly, his assertions have managed to fool multiple observers on more than one occasion.
In 2010, at 82 years old, Jani was placed under stringent observation at Sterling Hospital in Ahmedabad, India. During this period, he refrained from consuming any food or water and didn't urinate or defecate for 15 full days, all the while maintaining normal vital signs. Even Dr. Sudhir Shah, one of the researchers, seemed baffled by the results: 'We observed him for 15 days without food or water. If someone goes without water for seven or eight days, they would surely die.'
Dr. Shah was also involved in a 2003 study of Jani, which lasted 10 days and produced similarly perplexing results. Despite the oddity of his condition, researchers remain intrigued by the potential applications of Jani’s case, particularly for alleviating famine and aiding disaster-stricken populations by eliminating the need for sustenance. This is especially compelling given Jani's bold claim in the 2010 study that he hadn't eaten or drunk anything in over 70 years.
