Serial record breaker David Rush of Boise, Idaho, USA, has claimed yet another title.
On an episode of LIVE with Kelly and Ryan, which debuted on 12 September 2022, David broke his 249th record as he was recognized for the most marshmallows caught in the mouth with a home-made catapult in one minute.
The recent feat marks yet another added to the prolific record holder’s extensive list of accomplishments, which are nothing short of extraordinary.
In 2021, David, who has made a career out of record breaking, set out to break one record title a week.
Although the attempt was no small feat, it isn’t out of the ordinary for David, who already held over 180 record titles before this astonishing accomplishment.
David, who is also an author, speaker, entertainer, and STEM advocate, chose this unusual challenge as a way of inspiring kids to pursue STEM education and demonstrating that anything is possible.
"I have an announcement to make," David said in a video recapping some of the records he accomplished throughout 2021.
"I have completed my goal of breaking 52 records in 52 weeks of 2021."
On 4 January 2021, David began the countdown by stacking wet bars of soap and continued by bouncing ping pong balls, catching fruits and marshmallows in his mouth, and juggling axes.
Although David performed many attempts on his own, multiple tasks involved a bit of help from partners, including his wife, Jennifer and son, Jeremy.
While attempting the record for the fastest time to wrap a person with wrapping paper (team of two), David draped his neighbour, Joey Hannon, in wrapping paper with assistance from Joey's mother Lisa Marie Hannon, becoming the fastest pair to do so.
But breaking some of the other records on his list wasn’t quite as seamless.
"One of the most frustrating records of the year was trying to balance toilet paper rolls on my forehead," recalled David.
"Failure after failure, stacked thousands of rolls, and then finally 101 toilet paper rolls balanced on the head for 30 seconds. It was so satisfying to finally get this one."
David’s incredibly long (and versatile) list of record titles achieved in 2021 is as follows:
- Fastest time to wrap a person with wrapping paper (team of two) – 1 minute 43.19 seconds
- Fastest 100 m joggling with three objects whislt blindfolded (male) – 16.29 seconds
- Fastest 100 m blindfolded – 14.33 seconds
- Most consecutive axe juggling catches – 2,919
- Most passes of a beach ball in one minute (team of two) – 157
- Most marshmallows caught by mouth in one minute – 58
- Most apples thrown and caught in mouth in one minute – 49
- Fastest 10 m balancing a balloon on the face – 4.93 seconds
- Farthest distance travelled on an electric unicycle while juggling three objects – 56.40 km (35.04 mi)
- Most juggling catches while on a balance board (blindfolded) – 1,316
- Most passes of a giant inflatable ball in three minutes (team) – 673
- Fastest time to wrap a person in cling film/plastic wrap – 1 minute 2.44 seconds
- Most thumbtacks inserted into a cork board in one minute – 180
- Fastest time to complete a 10 m shuttle run pushing a pram – 9.88 seconds
- Most toilet paper rolls balanced on the head – 101
- Fastest time to burst ten balloons (team of six) – 9.56 seconds
- Most table tennis balls caught in shaving foam on the head in 30 seconds (team of two) – 35
- Farthest distance walked balancing a baseball bat on the chin – 3.6 km (2.236 miles)
- Most behind-the-back flying disc (frisbee) catches in one minute – 67
- Fastest flying disc relay (20 m course) – 5.47 seconds
- Most passes of a giant inflatable ball in three minutes – 356
- Longest duration balancing a chair on the chin – 1 hour 8 minutes 37 seconds
- Most consecutive passes of a giant inflatable ball – 4,169
- Most kiwis sliced on a balance board in one minute – 85
- Most grapes thrown and caught in the mouth while juggling in one minute (team of two) – 35
- Most kiwifruits sliced in the air with a sword whilst standing on a Swiss ball in one minute – 74
- Longest duration balancing an object on the head - 2 hours 36 minutes 6 seconds
- Most juggling catches while on a balance board (blindfolded) – 1,316
- Fastest time to arrange a chess set – 30.31 seconds
- Fastest time to arrange a chess set (team of two) – 34.09 seconds
- Longest duration juggling three objects whilst on a balance board - 2 hours 39 minutes 56 seconds
- Most glasses balanced on a stick held in the mouth – 19
- Most T-shirts put on in 30 seconds (team of two) – 19
- Most T-shirts put on in one minute (team of two) – 35
- Longest duration juggling three objects whilst on a Swiss ball – 52 minutes 18 seconds
- Most grapes sliced in the air with a sword whilst standing on a Swiss ball in one minute – 59
- Most juggling catches on a Swiss ball in one minute (three balls) – 522
- Fastest time to bounce a ping pong ball into five cups (team of two) – 2.87 seconds
- Most bars of soap stacked in one minute (team of two) – 47
- Longest duration balancing a chainsaw on the chin – 37 minutes 57 seconds
- Longest duration juggling three objects blindfolded – 32 minutes 7 seconds
- Longest duration balancing a lawnmower on the chin (not powered) – 30 minutes 33 seconds
- Most poi weaves in one minute – 83
- Longest duration balancing a chainsaw on the forehead – 31 minutes 25 seconds
- Longest time to balance a Christmas tree on the chin – 1 hour 30 minutes 5 seconds
- Farthest distance walked balancing a lawnmower on the chin (not powered) – 993 m (3,257 ft)
- Farthest distance walked balancing a chainsaw on the chin (powered) – 63 m (206 ft 8 in)
- Most beach balls caught blindfolded in one minute (team of two) – 35
- Most balls juggled whilst suspended upside down – 5
- Fastest time to pop 10 balloons between two people – 15.25 seconds
- Most wet sponges thrown in 30 seconds (team of two) – 51
- Most dice caught in 30 seconds while blindfolded (team of two) – 327
- Most beach balls caught blindfolded in 30 seconds (team of two) – 18
- Most alternating tennis ball catches in a plank position in one minute – 66
David encourages those who wish to break a record to move past their failures and never give up and has even offered helpful record breaking strategies.
"One of the most important things you need to understand is that when you fail when you first try it, that is not a judgement on you or your ability or your natural talent, or your ability to succeed in the future." – David Rush
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