Samson Ajao Breaks World Record for Longest Marathon Reading Aloud

A 27-year-old man from Osogbo, Nigeria, Samson Ajao, has set a new world record for the longest marathon reading aloud, clocking in an astounding 215 hours—just one hour shy of nine full days.

This incredible feat shatters the previous record of 124 hours set in 2022 by Kyrgyzstan’s Rysbai Isakov.

Samson's record-breaking achievement involved reading aloud from around 100 books, covering diverse topics such as finance, sales, management, leadership, politics, health, and mental wellness. His motivation for this marathon was to promote literacy development and inspire a reading culture in Nigeria.

Throughout the marathon, Samson adhered to strict rules: he could take no more than a 30-second pause between items being read and accumulated five minutes of rest time after each hour of reading, totaling two hours per day. During these breaks, he could eat, sleep, use the bathroom, or change his clothes, but Samson revealed in an interview with NTA News that he didn’t sleep at all during his breaks. "Even when it’s tough, you have to get going to meet your target," he said.

The marathon attracted significant attention, with many people, including Osun State House of Assembly Speaker Ngozi Adeleke and Education Commissioner Dipo Eluwole, coming to listen to Samson as he read. His record attempt concluded with a street parade in celebration, where Samson was joined by supporters and his proud parents.

This record has a storied history, dating back to 1987 when Englishman Adrian Hilton recited the complete works of Shakespeare in a 110-hour “bard-a-thon.” Since then, the record has been broken several times, with Samson’s achievement now standing as one of the longest marathon record attempts in Guinness World Records history.