We just got word from Guinness World Records that our claim has been denied. Here’s their reason:
Thank you for sending us the details of your recent record attempt for ‘Youngest Person to pedal the length of the
Americas’. We are afraid to say that we are unable to accept this as a Guinness World Record.
Unfortunately, we at Guinness World Records, have decided to rest this record, meaning we have decided to no longer recognise the category as a record, due to the fact that the record would reach an age where a person would no longer be able to break it or attempt (i.e. a two-year old attempting to do it) and as it would become limited under these terms, we choose to to no longer recognise it as a category.
The achievement, however, is an amazing one and we hope you and your family enjoyed it.
Thank you and we wish you the best and hope you understand.
Needless to say, we’re gutted. It just seems so unfair. The boys spent three years pedaling in order to break that record and now Guinness has decided they will no longer honor it.
I honestly feel that my boys should be grandfathered in. When we filed with Guinness World Records back in the spring of 2008 they sent me guidelines outlining what we would need to do and how we needed to document it and how we needed to submit the claim. They never, ever mentioned anything about not recognizing the youngest to do something.
We’re trying to decide what we’ll do – should we appeal and mount an international outcry? Or should we just let it rest, knowing that the boys did it. They know and we know and the whole world knows Davy and Daryl are the youngest to cycle the length of the Americas – is that certificate really that important?
Part of me is screaming out, “HELL YES!” They pedaled 17,300 miles for that record. They deserve to be recognized.
And yet – is it worth the time and effort to challenge it? That I don’t know. The world record was always secondary to our goal of simply doing what we set out to do. We did that.
We’ll take tonight to think about all this and decide what we want to do. If we do decide to challenge it, I’ll let you know what you can do to help. Thank you all for your support.
Enjoy this Post? Join 30,000+ Monthly Readers
Don't miss the inspiration!
| Subscribe to our RSS feed | Like us on | Follow us on |
Tags: Guinness World Record
July 25, 2011 4:28 pm
That bites!
[Reply]
July 25, 2011 4:30 pm
I am crushed for you.
[Reply]
July 25, 2011 4:39 pm
NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! I feel totally crushed with you… FIGHT IT! That’s my gut reaction.
[Reply]
July 25, 2011 4:41 pm
Oh, no! That just seems wrong. If you do decide to appeal it, let us know how we can help!
[Reply]
July 25, 2011 4:46 pm
It seems totally unreasonable for them to deny you this given that they outlined the terms when you began and never notified you otherwise.
That said, you hold the record whether they validate it or not. If Guiness is stupid, it doesn’t mean your accomplishment disappears. It just means Guiness is stupid.
[Reply]
July 25, 2011 5:09 pm
My gut reaction is to fight it as well. However, decide now how far you want to take it. Then, if it get’s to that point, call it quits. It’s worth fighting for but not worth allowing it to devour you – you know what I mean?
[Reply]
July 25, 2011 6:06 pm
Incredible achievement, whether or not it is officially recognized by the Guinness folk. More people will probably know about it through online sources, anyway!
[Reply]
July 25, 2011 6:33 pm
Nancy and family — outrageous! If you decide to contend, you will have my support. Daryl and Dave should not be denied this recognition. Clearly you fulfilled the stated requirements — Guinness should know better! This is unethical and seems very unfair. Their credibility pales with such a decision. Peace & joy to you and your incredible family.
[Reply]
July 25, 2011 7:03 pm
Of course you must do what’s best for your family. But inside I’m screaming fight, fight, fight!!!! OK, well, start with a nice reply. And then if they say ‘no’, bring out all your guns (us!)
[Reply]
July 25, 2011 7:20 pm
I say fight it!! Damn them. Go and get publicity all over the place and make them look like utter twongs!
[Reply]
July 25, 2011 7:30 pm
I say petition and fight it. If enough people back you Guiness is ultimately a business and will have to bow down public pressure.
[Reply]
July 25, 2011 7:31 pm
URG! So sorry to hear that. I’m happy to harness my blog’s little corner of the internet to help you fight if that’s what you decide.
[Reply]
July 25, 2011 7:44 pm
Go to http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/ Select “find a record”. Now type in “youngest” and hit “search”. I get 190 results.
I fail to see how many of these records they DO include are very different from the reason they gave above. I would at least appeal to their common sense once or twice before giving up.
With that said, it is more important to have had this experience than any particular entry in their list – so I’d probably push it for a while to see what happens but in the end not let it diminish the overall experience.
[Reply]
July 25, 2011 9:01 pm
Bogus!! And so wrong! I’ll support your challenge.
[Reply]
July 26, 2011 1:20 am
I feel so sad for them. I understand the protection of children by the introduction of that sort of rule (I mean, do we really want to see 12 year olds competing to sail around the world unassisted?) but they did it in a safe, protected environment with their parents…and had been told years ago how to go about breaking the record.
Guiness — think about it, this is just maddness to not allow them to go into the record books.
[Reply]
July 26, 2011 1:23 am
Challenge it ~ publicly!
[Reply]
July 26, 2011 3:01 am
That’s ridiculous! If you choose to fight it you’ll have huge support from the travel blogging community and your readers. Either way it’s an amazing achievement and they can’t take that away from the boys.
[Reply]
July 26, 2011 3:26 am
Now that’s a shame. As much as I am convinced that if there’s one thing D&D will have learned on their trip it is not to strive for something as trivial and material as a framed document on the wall, they obviously have earned it, and changing the rules during a competition is never a good idea.
Should you run amok? Well, write a decent letter or two, then let it rest. Should we? Yes, each and every of us commenters should spare a stamp and write to Guinness. (And then let it rest. I have never owned a Guinness book and never will.)
[Reply]
July 26, 2011 5:00 am
Challenge it, and engage the blogosphere is support of your fight! Your boys did what was outlined and deserve the credit!
[Reply]
July 26, 2011 7:39 am
I say fight it!
[Reply]
July 26, 2011 7:43 am
Excuse me, but… Bloody dingbats!?!
I understand your disappointment. This must feel like a slap in the face with a concrete pillar – you did everything they asked, you had your noses set on this symbolic recognition… and then; nothing?! “We’re sorry, the record you were trying to break has been discontinued.”
Bah!
Though, I must admit I actually support the stand Guinness is taking against all these outrageous youngest-ever-something record attempts. Unfortunately, not all parents have the right motives. Obviously, your accomplishment does not fall anywhere near the “outrageous” category because you – or specifically, your children – achieved their record under sensible, safe and responsible conditions. The question is if Guinness should be “morally liable” for all youngest-something record attempts if they continue to recognise them?
If you want to appeal to Guinness, I suggest you base your appeal on this – the record was achieved under sensible, safe and responsible conditions; the parents were present; the boys continued their schooling, etc.
BTW, if they were to recognise this record, would it be for both David and Daryl or only the younger one of them?
[Reply]
Nancy Reply:
July 26th, 2011 at 8:13 am
The boys are twins, so it would be held jointly.
[Reply]
Anna Reply:
July 26th, 2011 at 8:26 am
I know, but one of them must be older by a couple of minutes? Not that it matters to me – I would certainly recognise both of them as record-holders!
[Reply]
Nancy Reply:
July 26th, 2011 at 8:29 am
If they don’t both get it, then neither of them will get it. We won’t allow that disparity. Or, as the case may be, neither of them will get it because GWR changed their rules…
July 26, 2011 7:59 am
I’d say that it’s at least worth a reply, stating what you stated above: When you contacted them in 2008, they provided the guidelines to you with no indication that this would not be recognized. Even if they had no idea then, they must certainly be able to appreciate that cycling more than 17,000 miles does not happen overnight and grandfathering your boys in would be the right thing to do. It’s certainly worth sending one more email to see what happens! What they did was extraordinary and such be recognized as such!
[Reply]
July 26, 2011 8:55 am
fight it. that is just asinine.
[Reply]
July 26, 2011 10:28 am
Fight! Fight! Fight!
[Reply]
July 26, 2011 11:48 am
Unfair.
We know how hard you worked to achieve this.
Hope there will be a way to reverse the decision.
Good luck.
Michael, Ciska, Jesse and Sammy.
[Reply]
Pingback: Let's Give Guinness Another Record To Turn Down | The Great Family Escape
July 29, 2011 1:55 am
What a ridiculous reason. Under that reason they should abandon all records as eventually the “shortest man” would be the size of an ant. How stupid. And when it concerns denying kids who took three years to get the record, its also heartless. Fight it! I’m reposting on Facebook!
[Reply]
Carolyn Reply:
August 4th, 2011 at 10:45 pm
I disagree, have you heard about the woman working so hard to weigh 1,000 pounds so she can get into the Guinness Book of World Records?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1257850/Super-sized-mother-determined-worlds-fattest-woman-years.html
Some people are ridiculous and I think the Guinness people recognize that and are trying to protect people from themselves. Even if D and D took a safe trip, what’s to say the next child to break their record will have a safe trip?
I think it’s a sound reason.
[Reply]
August 4, 2011 8:07 am
I wonder if they read part of your blog and realized the danger involved for such young children and thus decided to do away with the record. Adults should not put children in so many life threatening conditions for year just to obtain a record.
[Reply]
November 16, 2011 6:52 am
Teach your kids not to be tied up in titles, that they did the trip for themselves not for a title and then prove it. Or not, either way it’s a world record whether Ripley’s owned Guinness Book of World Records recognizes it or not, and they can learn to be happy with that because a world record is better than a Guinness entry.
[Reply]
December 11, 2011 3:58 pm
fight it. Michael, Ciska, Jesse and Sammy. That’s my gut reaction. Of course you must do what’s best for your family.
[Reply]
Pingback: The best and the worst: The roller coaster of 2011 | Family on Bikes