Under the category Epic Journeys, De Rond and Wright were cited for the ‘First row of the navigable length of the Amazon’ in their Woodvale Pairs-class ocean rowing boat, a 2,077-mile journey that took 32 days from Nauta, Peru, to Macapa, Brazil, ending on 14 October 2013.
Other epic journeys featured in the book include ‘Youngest person to circumnavigate by aircraft’ (21 years, 7 days), ‘Longest journey … Barefoot’ (1,488.09 kilometres across Germany) and ‘Kite surfing in 24 hours’ (645.6 kilometres off the Florida coast).
Somewhat less epic journeys featured in a section called Animals in Action include ‘Fastest 30 metres on a scooter by a dog’ (20.77 seconds) and ‘Longest jump by a cat’ (1.92 metres). Also found there are the adventures of the hind leg-walking dog, known as ‘Jiff the Pomeranian’ – who also holds the canine record for the fastest 5 metres on front legs (7.76 seconds) and appeared last year in the video for pop star Katy Perry’s song Dark Horse.
Other records in the new book include ‘Most words in a hit single’ (1,560 in Rap God by rapper Eminem), longest fingernails on a pair of hands (a woman’s 3.62 metres of twisting talons) and the ‘Tallest man ever’, the 8 ft, 11.1 inch Robert Pershing Wadlow of Alton, Illinois, who featured in the very first edition of the book and has never been outgrown.
De Rond and Wright picked up their Guinness World Record certificate last year at the British consulate in Sao Paulo, Brazil, but now the physical book has just been published around the world – with 3 million copies distributed in 20 languages.
The Amazon-navigation spread in Guinness World Records includes several photos of the rowing pair, along with their description of several key pieces of equipment – ranging from “surprisingly lightweight” oars made of reinforced carbon fibre to a must-wear sun hat to guard against the blistering Amazon rays.