Samson Ajao

The Guinness World Records (GWR) has announced a 27-year-old Nigerian, Samson Ajao from Osogbo, Osun State capital, as the latest holder of “Read-a-Thon” world record.

Ajao was announced the latest “Read-a-Thon” world record holder after he performed the world’s longest marathon reading aloud, clocking in at 215 hours – just one hour short of nine full days.

According to Guinness World Records, the previous record of 124 hours was set in 2022 by Rysbai Isakov of Kyrgyzstan, a country in Central Asia.

The GWR said to achieve the record, the challenger must read aloud continuously from published works, with no more than a 30-second pause between items being read.

“Samson read around 100 books in total, covering subjects such as finance, sales, management, leadership, politics, health and mental wellness.

“He attempted this record to promote literacy development and inspire a reading culture in Nigeria,” the GWR said.

Many people came to listen to Samson throughout his record attempt, including Osun State House of Assembly Speaker, Ngozi Adeleke and Commissioner for Education, Dipo Eluwole.

The GWR added that regarding its rules for all ‘longest marathon’ records, Samson accumulated five minutes of rest time after each hour of reading, totalling two hours per day.

“Only during these breaks could he eat, sleep, use the bathroom or change his clothes.”

In an interview with NTA News, Ajao revealed that he didn’t sleep at all during his breaks.

He said “Even when it’s tough, you have to get going to meet your target.”

Before the record attempt, Ajao said he sought advice from medical professionals on which foods and drinks would preserve his voice as well as minimize the number of toilet breaks he’d need.

After completing the “read-a-thon”, Ajao and his supporters paraded through the street in celebration.

Among the revelers were Ajao’s parents, who both expressed pride in their son’s accomplishment.

GWR said, “This record has a rich history, dating all the way back to 1987 when Englishman Adrian Hilton recited the complete works of Shakespeare in a “bard-a-thon” lasting 110 hr 46 min.

“Nepal’s Deepak Sharma Bajagain took the title in 2008 after registering a time of 113 hr 15 min, which previous record holder Rysbai Isakov improved upon by almost 11 hours.

“These remarkable feats are now dwarfed by Samson’s record. Not only is it the world’s longest marathon reading aloud, but it is one of the longest marathon record attempts in Guinness World Records history, surpassed in recent times only by DJ Faber Moreira’s 10-day DJ-ing marathon.”

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