How I Broke 42 World Records
It was a year and a half after I dislocated my right shoulder, effectively ending my competitive skating career. Physical therapy was going strong and I gained a lot of strength and range of motion back.
But I wasn’t satisfied just sitting around and studying. I needed something competitive, passionate, and incredible to do.
And what’s more incredible than being the best in the world at something? I started searching for world records that I could break with minimal set up, and I found a treasure trove of hilarious records that I was immediately determined to break.
Here’s all 42 that I managed, in order and what I did to break them (for the most part – if they’re marked with a “*” I don’t remember the order, and a “**” means I no longer have a record of the exact number that won me the achievement).
Side note: many of these are documented on my TikTok… enjoy!
- Fastest time to write “Donald Trump” on a sticky note 12 times with a sharpie (45.249 seconds).
I know what you’re thinking… That’s a world record? What the actual f*ck? Listen, it may not be the prettiest or the best, but it is a world record. The woman who held it before me set a nice 49 seconds, which I subsequently smashed. I don’t have the neatest handwriting so it was a challenge to keep it legible (as per the rules), but this one I beat on my very first try! (Spoiler alert: this was probably the last time that happened).
2. Tallest toilet paper roll tower held in one hand for 30 seconds (18 rolls).
This record was the one that catapulted me to TikTok fame. Two million views later, I was inspired to keep this up for another 40 straight days, while taking seven university classes! The timing was impeccable, being at the start of Covid-19 when the Great Toilet Paper Shortage occurred. Half of the comment were jokes about how I got so many roles of TP (actually some may not have been jokes… but when the megapacks are all that Target has, you make do). The other comments said I didn’t actually hold it for 30 seconds because I sped up the video 2x… I thought this would be obvious as I had filmed the whole thing and was clearly (in my eyes) moving faster that a regularly sped person does, but I learned my lesson to clarify going forward.
3. Most recitations of the alphabet backward on one foot in one minute (16).
With the pressure on, I had to deliver something challenging. This was it. I did not know the alphabet backward, I have asthma, and I was living in high altitude (thinner atmosphere = less oxygen = run out of breath quicker). Did that stop me? Of course not.
4. Most spirals drawn in 30 seconds (21).
This was the first deceiving one for me. And what I mean by that is it seems super easy, but it’s actually really difficult. Time and time again something went wrong. I would touch the lines together, or take a circle too wide and run out of room. But eventually, I pulled through and beat the previous record by two.
5. Fastest time to make a turkey sandwich (9.27 seconds).
The first record that required an extra cameraman (thanks to my roommate Camden), this one was high stakes. I even filmed a second angle with a GoPro in my mouth… I was dedicated to the craft. I also couldn’t try again and again because I’m not one to waste food. Once that sandwich is made, I’m eating it. That means at the most I had two or three attempts, four if I could pawn a sandwich off to Cam. But low and behold, I knocked it out in one attempt. Is it a pretty sandwich? Hell no, but it did the trick.
6. Most articles of clothing put on in a shower in 30 seconds (11).
Probably my favorite record I broke, this one was a real workout. Not to mention filming myself in my underwear in the shower and posting it on the internet was not something I anticipated happening in my life. This record took practice and strategy. It was a legitimate challenge that took hours to conquer. That said, with my new fans motivating me I was up for the challenge and pulled through once again.
7. Tallest penny tower on the brim of a cap while wearing it (42).
A week in and smashing every record out of the park, it was time for one that I really wasn’t sure if I’d be able to break. Surprisingly, stacking 42 pennies is a challenge. The setup for this one was the most frustrating part, with the tower toppling again and again. The trick? Finding a flat-brimmed cap (no curve!)
8. Most smiley faces drawn in one minute (51).
I was jazzed up at this point and wanted to start building a relationship with my followers. A quick, easy, and loveable record like this was perfect. Not my first try, but 3 or 4 attempts in and I snagged this one.
9. Fastest Time to tie (and untie) a double knot in a shoelace (7.08 seconds).
This record was special for two reasons. 1. I tried a new video format for the first time – a mock inspirational video instead of the voiceovers I’d been doing. 2. I had been tying my shoelaces a special way since I was a young boy and I knew this record would be a walk in the park. It was (but the record still took a long time with all the setup, camera angles, and editing).
10. Most times to say “follow me on TikTok” in one breath (31).
With Recordsetter, the website I had been finding most of these records on, down for an unknown amount of time, I had to start getting creative. This was the first of many but was a blessing in disguise. It was the spark that ultimately led me to create BeatThatRecord, my own record-breaking community, and site. (Tragically, the site has since been taken down. I couldn’t take the time to upkeep it and I let it expire, something I now regret deeply).
11. Fastest time to stack and unstack 5 toilet paper rolls (1.87 seconds).
My first toilet paper roll was my biggest hit to date, so why not try another one? A lot easier than the first, a few practice rounds was all it took to be ready to break this one. TP records are my favorite category!
12. Most hearts drawn inside of another heart in one minute (26).
Similar to the most spirals drawn, this one was quite difficult. I went through a ton of paper… more than I care to admit. Shout out to myself for being artistic and using it later on in an art project.
13. Most Sharpies knocked over in one breath (42).
Again, I have asthma and have never had the best lung capacity. Not to mention balancing 42 sharpies on a surface without accidentally knocking into one, with subsequently knocks the rest over, was quite annoying. That said, this one was pretty easy.
14. Most self hat flips onto your head in a row (11).
I, like any kid, have tried to flip a hat onto my head many times before. With baseball caps, it’s quite difficult, but I used a hat with a more even round shape to help me out. I practiced for a good hour or two, and mastered the height and strength I needed to flip with. I wonder if my muscle memory would let me still do this with ease…
15. Longest time holding a pencil vertically in between two fingers (32 minutes).
It’s strange, often when something is so easy it makes you feel like you’re doing it wrong. This was a mental hurdle more than anything. Doing any one thing for 32 minutes straight is a challenge, but I decided to read a book at the same time (yes, that’s clear in the video). Once I finished the chapter I stopped, which ended up being 32 minutes on the dot.
16. **Most consecutive jump rope “double unders”
As an ice skater, jump roping had been a major part of my warmup for years. I was a master at these jump rope “double unders” and knew breaking this would be no problem. The bigger issue was I only had a weighted jumprope. Too lazy to go out and buy a new one, I broke it with the extra weight (but damn did I sweat while doing so).
17. Fastest time to stack 10 Cheerios (13.8 seconds).
Stacking seemed to be a good category for world records for me, but it turns out Cheerios can be quite distorted. While they are all circular, they are not flat at all and quite difficult to stack. I eventually managed to find 10 that fit well enough together, but this one was one of the longest to break.
18. Most crunches in 15 seconds while balancing an egg on a spoon in your mouth (10).
I mean… Maybe a bit unnecessary as you don’t move that much while doing a crunch, but the idea of the egg is you can’t use momentum to do the sit up or it will roll off. If you’re looking for a ab workout challenge, go ahead and try this one.
19. **Longest time holding pinky finger up.
One of the biggest successes on the BeatThatRecord website, I broke this record somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes. It was subsequently broken and the new record stood at 30 minutes, then 45, then over an hour, and continued until 2.5+ hours. Us record setters are a dedicated bunch!
20. Tallest Scrabble tile tower stacked on a standard roll of toilet paper (15).
And we’re back with another stacking one. Scrabble tiles are a lot flatter than Cheerios, but balancing on a roll of toilet paper left an added challenge. I broke it, but not without dropping a tile down my A/C vent and losing it forever. I think it was a “V”.
21. Fastest time to sort a deck of cards (1:34.01)
I love cards, and this record was a fun one. It’s all about getting the strategy down and training your brain to almost sort on autopilot. This record was originally set by my brother, so it added an extra competitive drive for me to break as fast as possible.
22. Most times to go up and down a flight of stairs in 45 seconds (7)
Another physical challenge that depended on cardio and strength, I distinctly remember hating stairs with a burning passion once finished. I also had tile at the bottom of my stairs and kept slipping, slamming down on my butt more than once. But alas, I pulled it off in the end.
23. The most “8”‘s drawn in 30 seconds (52).
Back to speed of the hand and wrist, I had this type of record down to a science at this point. However, the more “8”s you write, the harder they get to. It’s kind of like that phenomenon where if you say a word over and over again it starts to sound really weird. Don’t believe me? Try it yourself.
24. Most consecutive times stopping a timer at exactly 1.00 seconds (2)
Ok, two doesn’t seem that impressive. I’ve done three before, but didn’t catch it on camera so it didn’t count!
25. **Fastest time to tap a surface 100 times
This was not fun to slow down and count, but I did it anyways. It also looks and feels really weird while you’re trying it.
26. **Most consecutive jump rope “triple unders”
As you read above, jump roping is my forte. “Triple unders” are of course more difficult than doubles, but this challenge was a fun one for me. Jumprope more, y’all!
27. Most consecutive jumping jacks (469)
I don’t know why I tricked myself into breaking these records that are just working out, but my dusty garage watched me get back into shape over the course of all of these. I remember losing count halfway through, and pretty much just doing as many as I could before my calves got so tight I could barely walk.
28. **Most items of clothing thrown from your body into a hamper
This was a record brought up by James Cordon on TikTok. I smashed it out of the park, beat everyone else, used his sound, and got no recognition from him for it. It was a dumb record anyways, and I’m not salty about it… (I am).
29. Most grapes thrown into mouth in one minute (17)
I’ve never been the best at throwing and catching food in my mouth. It turns out, if you spend a few hours practicing, it’s really easy.
30. **Most amount of times putting on and taking off a t-shirt in one minute
Set by one of our community record setters on BeatThatRecord, this was another that a bunch of people attempted and broke. I can’t remember the number I set unfortunately, but I’m almost positive someone beat mine a few weeks later.
31. Most vertical lines drawn in 30 seconds (155).
Back to another pen on paper record, this was again a mind game. The more lines you draw, the harder they get. I wonder if there’s a name for this phenomenon?
32. Most numbers said out loud in 30 seconds (75)
Hyperventilate for a few breaths, take the biggest inhale possible, and try to annunciate so no one can argue that you didn’t say a number properly. That’s all it takes.
33. Most taps on a surface in 15 seconds (123).
Another one that was really not fun to slow down, I think I had to go 1/10 speed to make sure I counted every tap. Interestingly, there are several times when trying this record that you go to tap and miss the table. Unnoticeable in the moment, but pretty funny when watching back.
34. Longest duration spinning a flying disc on your hand (20:22)
My most controversial record, it’s possible I did this one incorrectly. People in the comments said I needed to spin it like a basketball, instead of around in a circle like I did. But the record rules didn’t clarify, so I consider it fair game.
35. Most consecutive jump rope single skips (250)
My last jump rope record, the hardest part was the burn of my calves.
36. Most times to flip a coin and have it land on heads in a row (8)
Pretty much 100% luck and dedication, if you have a lot of time on your hands and want an easy record to break, this is it. Don’t get frustrated when it takes hours and hours to break.
37. Most heel clicks in 30 seconds (74)
My last fitness-based record, I decided to do this in socks and regretted it because I slammed my ankle bones against each other too many times and got bruises on both.
38. Most rotations in a hat flip (3).
The same hat as the most hat flips in a row, this was a challenge because the hat was almost too light to do. I really wanted four, but settled after trying for a few hours and only getting three.
39. Most times to say “I hate quarantine” in one breath (22).
We’ve all been there, ok? I was in a bad mood and breaking this one made me feel better.
40. Most times to take off and on a painting on the wall in one minute (26).
Another BeatThatRecord original, this reminded my why I made the website in the first place. Crazy, funny, ridiculous records like these that make someone do a double take and think is that really a world record? Yes it is, and yes I broke it.
41. Most oranges caught and thrown from one hand in 30 seconds (65).
I guess the juggling section of gym class did pay off in the end.
42. Most daily world records broken in a row (42).
Yep, we did it. Breaking a world record every day, for 42 days in a row. I was really burnt out by the end. out of ideas, out of motivation, and tired of approving so many records on the website on my own. But very proud of my accomplishments as well!
My favorite records that other users set on my website:
- Most pushups with a puppy balancing on you (4).
- Fastest time to find diamonds in Minecraft survival (3:20).
- Most times to say “hi” in one breath
- Most guitar picks stacked on one finger
- Most times to say “F” in one breath
- Longest puppy plank (53 seconds)
- Most art and craft bats on a single wall (261)
- Longest time spinning a fidget spinner on a big toe (2:48.27)
- Most times to say “I love chicken nuggets” in one minute (59)