The Guinness Book of Records is 70 years old this year – not bad for a journal that was started to settle a pub argument! In 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver, then managing director of the Guinness Brewery, got into a spirited debate about which of Europe’s game birds was the fastest.

In the absence of Google and with no book to tell him the answer, he had the idea of publishing a book full of facts and figures that people could turn to when they had questions like this. And so the Guinness Book of Records (as it was called at the time) was born, with its first edition released on 27 August 1955 – 70 years ago.

In 1974, the Guinness Book of Records became the biggest-selling copyrighted book in history with sales totalling 23,950,000. In 2023, the 100-millionth copy of Guinness World Records was sold. In 2024, Guinness World Records (GWR) had more than 40 million followers on Facebook, 20 million on TikTok, and 10 million on Instagram and YouTube – the definitive record of records is setting its own records!

Running records have always been a part of GWR. The arrival of mass participation running events, like the London Marathon in March 1981, has provided a rich seam for GWR to mine. This year, the TCS London Marathon set 41 new GWRs, in addition to the record for the largest number of finishers. A total of 87 attempts were made, with 41 being confirmed as records by GWR. The record for GWRs set at the London Marathon was 44 in 2024, coincidentally in the 44th edition of the London Marathon, as we reported in runABC here.

runABC has long been fascinated by the extraordinary diversity of GWRs established in running events. Check out our previous stories like the GWRs set in the London Marathon in 2021; the most consecutive marathons run in 2022; the fastest ever nine holes in Speedgolf in 2023; and for a real sweat, how about the GWR for the most t-shirts worn in a half marathon (120) that we reported in 2023...!

GWR has issued a challenge to mark its milestone year with its Be Part of It campaign. GWR Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday said: "I've been working at GWR across three different decades, and looking back, it's incredible to think how much - and how quickly - the world has changed in the past 20-odd years. Viewing the world through the lens of the superlative gives everyone at GWR a unique perspective, and I'm really grateful for the chance to meet so many inspiring people and curate their most amazing achievements. And the future is sure to be as thrilling, so I can't wait to see what's coming next!"

To learn more about the GWR 70th-anniversary Be Part of It campaign, click here.  

Photos courtesy of the TCS London Marathon in 2022 and 2024