'Beyond health risks, world record marathons are worth it,' three-time Guinness record holder says

In a discussion with GSW's Edward Sakyi, Sarvagya explained that an individual could overcome the challenges and health risks by preparing thoroughly for the preferred title to snatch. This, he believes will make the journey worthwhile and 'easy'.

"it's definitely worth it. So that is worth it, putting yourself to this. You have to know your limits and practice multiple times before you actually go and attempt it," said Savagya. He, however, cautioned that "there's a fine line like you shouldn't cross that line where it is affecting you."

The Guinness World Record franchise has seen numerous records shattered by individuals vying to etch their names in history books. In Africa, a surge of various marathons—ranging from cooking, singing, and long speeches to talk shows and tree-hugging—are witnessing participants staying awake for over 130 hours to claim world titles.

The most recent marathon to have grabbed the headlines was by Nigerian chess champion Tunde Onakoya, who surpassed the existing 56-hour chess record by clocking in 60 hours. Although Onakoya did not disclose any health implications after completing his attempt, his fellow Nigerian, Kehinde Odesola, an artist who in his attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for the longest painting marathon in an interview with GSW in February spoke of hallucinating after over 100 hours into his attempt.

Despite the taxing effort involved in these endeavours, Sarvagya celebrates them for the opportunities they present to individuals who achieve world record titles.

"The benefits are that it's good. You could tell people about yourself and they're generally curious about hearing your story and it helps you, like, gives you that edge over other people. It also opens doors to a lot of new opportunities. Personally, it has opened doors for public speaking opportunities. So now I've given that talk, I've given two TEDx talks as well and I really do public speaking. So that's, and if you can get collaborations and stuff. So those are the doors it opens and then it helps you create an identity for yourself," he added.

In 2020, Sarvagya Kulshreshtha secured his first Guinness World Record title by solving a Rubik's Cube in just 15.75 seconds, surpassing the existing record of 20 seconds at the time. He went on to achieve his second and third titles in 2022, for Rubik's Cubes and Pyraminx, respectively.

Watch this interview: