Man Breaks Ferris Wheel World Record

Spends a hair more than 2 days on ride—awake
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted May 20, 2013 12:45 PM CDT
Man Breaks Ferris Wheel World Record
In this June 13, 2012 photo, visitors ride on the Ferris Wheel and Wave Swinger at Chicago's nearly century-old Navy Pier.   (Charles Rex Arbogast)

Want to snatch the record for world's longest Ferris wheel ride? You'll need to clear your schedule for two days and leave your pillow at home in order beat the newly reigning champ, a manager of Chicago's Navy Pier who rode the tourist spot's Ferris wheel—awake—for 48 hours, 8 minutes, and 25 seconds. Clinton Shepherd's weekend ride brings the world record to the birthplace of the amusement park favorite (the first having been built in 1893 for the World's Columbian Exposition).

"I thought Chicago should have that title," he says, and the Sun-Times reports that he got a little help during his quest: Guinness World Records allowed him to have one five-minute break each hour. To stay awake during the remainder of the time, he played hours of videogames (primarily Call of Duty: Black Ops 2) and watched James Bond and Batman movies on the gondola's big-screen TV. He also (shocker) drank a lot of Mountain Dew, and received sustenance from the likes of Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse, which brought him meals. (Click for the story of a more tragic Guinness Record holder.)

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