18 November 2011 (last updated)

PRESS RELEASE

The first fully-authenticated run around the world record has just been accepted

The record for the first run around the world has just been accepted by Guinness World Records. The proud new record holder is Robert Garside (UK), who started and finished at India Gate, New Delhi, India, taking a total of 2,062 days, from 20 October 1997 to 13 June 2003, to run through 29 countries on six continents.

Although Robert’s record attempt finished in 2003, it has taken 5 years to collate and confirm the record evidence. The Guinness World Record management team have only finished the assessment of the claim yesterday and are now happy to certify the feat as a true record.

“We are very cautious to accept records like this because they are difficult to certify however Robert has provided us with full evidence which enabled us to authenticate his amazing achievement. We initially evaluated 15 boxes full of credit card statements, receipts in Robert’s name and other useful evidence, which supported Robert’s presence in all of the 29 countries within the time specified. We then moved on to establish whether Robert had actually been running and started to look through an astronomical number of pictures and newspaper cuttings from different parts of Robert’s route. We also reviewed over 300 time-coded tapes featuring Robert running at different locations during his journey. We could finally double check the route followed through statements from several witnesses, and passports stamps and visas” said Marco Frigatti, Head of Records for Guinness World Records, he also added “We rarely accept new records for “first” achievements as most of the records we publish are breakable. In this case, however, we felt Robert’s run was extraordinary and deserved to be mentioned as a Guinness World Record”

For the purposes of this record, the journey involves starting and finishing at the same place. The total distance travelled must exceed the length of the Tropic of Capricorn, namely 36,787.559 km. The Equator must be crossed at least once. All lines of longitude must be crossed. And all continents (Europe, Asia, South America North America, and Australia) have to be covered within the route.

About Guinness World Records

Guinness World Records is the universally recognized authority on record-breaking achievement. First published in 1955, the annual Guinness World Records book is published in more than 100 countries and 20 languages and is one of the highest-selling books under copyright of all time with more than 3 million copies sold annually across the globe.

Guinness World Records celebrated its 50th anniversary edition in 2004, a year after the sale of its 100 millionth copy. The Guinness World Records website (www.guinnessworldrecords.com) receives more than 11 million visitors a year.

Go to the Official First Run Around The World Web Site

Courtesy Guinness World Records