David Rush has set out to break as many Guinness World Records as he can. Earlier this year, Mr. Rush broke his 181st record, giving him a new kind of record – the record for the most Guinness World Records held at the same time.
To be clear, Guinness doesn’t keep track of who has the most records. But Mr. Rush knew that the Italian record breaker, Silvio Sabba, was in the lead with 180 Guinness World Records. So he worked hard to break Mr. Sabba’s record.
In August, Guinness confirmed that Mr. Rush had broken his 181st record. The record was for the fastest time to smash 55 vinyl records.
(Source: David Rush.)
Mr. Rush, who’s 39, says he began working to set world records to show how important it is to keep trying, even when things are hard. Mr. Rush has been involved in science and technology for years, and later began working as a speaker to encourage people to do their best.
But Mr. Rush also likes to challenge himself. In 2015, he decided to try to set a record by juggling with his eyes covered. After practicing for several weeks, Mr. Rush managed to juggle blindfolded for 6 minutes and 34 seconds. That was Mr. Rush’s first Guinness World Record. (He later broke his own record by juggling blindfolded for over an hour. )
(Source: David Rush.)
Mr. Rush says he enjoys the hard work of training to break records. He says it helps him stay in shape, and it’s fun to try new things.
Many of the records Mr. Rush sets are unusual. He’s balanced 101 rolls of toilet paper on his head. He’s caught 59 marshmallows in his mouth in one minute. He’s also set records for balancing a lawnmower on his chin, getting hit in the face with wet sponges, and slicing grapes with a sword while standing on a ball.
(Source: David Rush.)
Mr. Rush’s family supports him in his efforts. He says his three children enjoy practicing with him. In 2021, his wife allowed Mr. Rush to wrap her in plastic wrap to set a new record.
Most of Mr. Rush’s records get set at his home, with volunteers helping out, carefully recording the event. Mr. Rush often posts videos of his record-setting events on social media. He has over 50,000 followers on YouTube.
(Source: David Rush.)
But Mr. Rush’s main job is giving encouraging speeches at businesses and schools. He says technology is very important in today’s world, and that makes him a big fan of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) in education.
“I want students to believe that even if they struggle with science or math, they can still become an engineer or anything they want to become,” Mr. Rush says.
Since he set his 181st record, Mr. Rush says he has set about 12 more records. But he admits that during that time, some of his old records might have been broken.
He knows that to hang on to his record, he’ll have to keep on breaking more records. That’s fine with him. He enjoys the challenge.
Did You Know…?
In all, Mr. Rush has broken over 300 Guinness World Records, but many of these records have been broken again. This summer, he visited the main office of Guinness World Records in London, England. During his visit, he set 15 world records in a single day.