Celestine Onele, an Electrical Engineer from Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi, plans to begin a 150-hour marathon ironing session on Monday, April 22, 2024, aiming to break the Guinness World Record.
Currently pursuing his Master’s Degree at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra, Onele shared his plan with journalists in Abakaliki, the State capital.
He has received approval from Guinness for the 150-hour marathon ironing, with strict rules to adhere to for the record.
The event will take place at an event center in Abakaliki, and Onele encourages the public to bring their clothes for ironing to help break the record.
Onele has had a passion for ironing since childhood, which inspired him to pursue this record. His goal is to surpass Garric Standard from the UK and Huston from Australia, who previously held the record.
Prior to Garric Standard’s record in 2015, Huston from Australia held the record since 2012 with 80 hours. Guinness approved requests from individuals who attempted the record after Garric Standard but didn’t acknowledge them due to rule violations.
“Currently, I am on the verge of attempting Guinness World Record for the longest marathon ironing in the world. So, if I surpass the current holder of the record, I will be the new holder for the longest marathon ironing by an individual in the world. I am an engineer but I love being inspired to do different things to put my name on the map.
“On 7th July last year, I submitted my application to Guinness World after a rigorous research which we all know that after submitting application, it takes a whole lot of inspection from different expertise and by the Grace of God, after 18 weeks of waiting, I got a mail that my application to attempt a Guinness World Record has been approved.
“After three weeks, a specific guideline was approved for me and it’s a guideline that I have to follow to break the record. There are so many rules in the guideline which if you temper with the rules, you will not be recognised.
“Some of the rules says, I have 30 seconds to pick materials. So, whenever I finish ironing a material, I have 30 seconds to pick up another material and iron. And for the rest break, I have just 5 minutes to rest after 1 hour,” he stated.