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What do you do on a typical day as a Guinness World Records manager?
We receive about 1000 applications a week, and I鈥檓 part of the team that replies to them. We investigate their claim to see whether we can recognise their suggestion. We have lots of theoretical conversations about bizarre topics.

What sort of bizarre topics?
One conversation we had recently was about how to standardise the record for the most spears caught from a spear gun in 1 minute, while underwater.

The most spears caught from a speargun? Really?
Yes. Caught underwater. The current record is held by a guy in Australia who is famous for having fast reflexes.

I鈥檓 often brought in as the technical guy to work out how to measure something a bit unusual, like this speargun record. We need to standardise a set of conditions for all record attempts 鈥� in this case the speed of the spear 鈥� to be fair to future applicants, and to try to remove the possibility of someone gaining an advantage by bending the rules. You become an expert in some very niche areas.

Of the thousands of applications, how many go on to become new world records?
Only a small proportion 鈥� less than 5 per cent. Sometimes we can鈥檛 standardise the record, or it鈥檚 too niche. We also don鈥檛 encourage people to apply saying they鈥檙e the first to achieve a certain activity, because we want all our records to be breakable and a 鈥渇irst鈥� isn鈥檛 really.

Your job also involves trying to come up with new ideas for records. Where do you start?
A lot of my time is spent looking through scientific journals, to see if there is something record-worthy there. We also have contacts within different fields who keep us alert to developments. One record that we published in the Guinness World Records 2016 was the fastest 2D camera, taken from research in Nature. This could .

Generally speaking, what motivates people to attempt a new world record?
A lot of people do it to get recognition for their particular talent, but companies also want to highlight the performance of their products. That is becoming more common. For example, there was a Korean sportswear company who believed that they had the toughest shoelaces in the world. We researched this and found that quite a few firms had made the same claim. We see our role as arbiter in these disputes. So we created a set of criteria to see which one came out on top, based on the industrial standard used to measure the abrasive strength of textiles.

Are some people just in it for the fame?
Yes. Often it鈥檚 a group of friends that want to do a project together, such as making the largest wheelbarrow. In this case, a group of people decided to make a huge version of an existing wheelbarrow. It was the height of a double-decker bus, but fully functional. They pulled it with a tractor.

Do a lot of children apply to be record-breakers?
We definitely see an increase in the number of applications when children are on school holidays. In my experience they are often better than adults at setting a goal and really going for it.

One of my favourite records is the . The record holder, Matthew Lucci, was 10 years old I think when he got the record. The toaster had to be capable of toasting a slice of bread and then ejecting it as high as possible. Matthew managed to pop the toast to just over 4.5 metres. He got a high speed motor to spin a flywheel within the toaster. Once the toast is ejected it hits the flywheel and just flies out.

Jet propelled toast!
Yes, exactly. That kid must have learned an awful lot while building that toaster. I really like that record. It doesn鈥檛 really serve a direct purpose, but there are a lot of lessons about electronics and mechanics within that particular record.

Was he the first person to set that record?
No. A British man was the previous record holder and Matthew decided that he could get toast to go higher.

Are there some records that are no longer physically breakable?
There are some that we keep thinking are not breakable. One example is the . That is measured using the space between the two stationary cars, minus the length of the car that they are using.

Each time the record gets broken we think there鈥檚 no way that this can happen again. It stands at 7.5 centimetres. The participants do a handbrake turn sideways into the space. Records like that feel like they鈥檙e approaching their natural limit, but people keep coming back to break them.

鈥淓ach time this record gets broken we think there鈥檚 no way it can happen again鈥�

Why do people keep trying to break the parallel parking record?
At the moment, this is between two rival stunt drivers 鈥� one from the UK and one from China. They have a habit of beating each other鈥檚 record, so it鈥檚 a matter of pride, I think.

How did you end up as a world record tester?
I studied physics at university and worked in a couple of IT jobs. Then I saw a rather incognito job advert 鈥� it was deliberately vague, asking for people with a knack for research, and who are able to understand a variety of topics. I put in an application and got a call saying the ad was for the Guinness World Records.

Do you have any records coming up that you鈥檙e particularly looking forward to adjudicating?
I don鈥檛 have any lined up at the moment. Everything usually happens quite last minute, so we keep our passports in the office, just in case we need to go somewhere. I recently went to Jordan to measure the . That was not particularly science-y or technical, but very fun. It was 611 metres long. I got to have a go on it.

What science records in Guinness World Records 2016 are the highlights for you?
As well as the fastest 2D camera, we have the . That was something that we thought was worthy of a 鈥渟ignificant first鈥� because 3D printing is really picking up in speed and uptake.

One of my favourite parts of the job is that, as well as recording the achievement, you are also able to explain a bit about the background leading up to it, or the potential ramifications. The record is a good storytelling device. People do love the superlative, and it puts us in a good position, being the generally accepted reference for all things superlative.

(Image: Marc Schlossman)

This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淏iggest, smallest, fastest, strongest鈥︹��