06/08/2007

Richard Rodriguez has broken the Guinness World Record for the longest rollercoaster marathon on the Pepsi Max Big One at Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, surpassing the current record of 9 ½ days. At 00:01 on Monday 6th August, Richard began celebrating as he regained the title he previously held for almost 30 years across 17 record breaks! Richard officially kicked off the rollercoaster marathon on Friday 27th July at 12noon, after his previous records were no longer recognised following a change in Guinness guidelines. Amazingly, rollercoaster marathon veteran Richard, 48, has been eating, drinking and sleeping on rollercoasters for the past 10 days as he carried out the ultimate endurance test. The American was going head to head with 2 challengers at Freizeitland Gieselwind park in Germany, but they dropped out after 1 ½ days due to medical reasons, paving the way for Richard to ride his way to the record. Richard now intends to stay on the Big One for the foreseeable future and make his new record one that will be tough to beat: ‘It feels amazing to be the world record holder once again, but I’m not just going to give up now – I want to stay on for as long as possible and make my record a solid one. ‘The ride crews and all the visitors who have come to support me have been a great help and have inspired me to stay positive during this successful record attempt so I’d like to thank them all!’ Amanda Thompson, Pleasure Beach Managing Director, added: ‘Huge congratulations to Richard for this superb record break, his stamina during this toughest challenge yet has been incredible. Pleasure Beach is the rollercoaster capital of the world with 11 classic and modern coasters, so it’s only right that the world record should be held right here in England. Keep checking www.pleasurebeachblackpool.com for the all the latest updates from the Pepsi Max Big One.