WORLD RECORD
ATTEMPT


Date: 13th October, 2014

While there will be many events taking place at the 30th Pinball Expo in Chicago, none will be so gruelling and lengthy as an attempt to break the world record for continuous pinball playing.

Expo regular Lonnie Mihin plans to begin his pinball marathon when registration for the show begins at midday on Thurssday 16th October. He will be located next to the Expo registration desk at the Westin Chicago North Shore hotel in Wheeling.

Lonnie Mihin
Lonnie Mihin

Although longer continuous playing stretches have been reported, including this one of 72 hours by Ronald Mowray, the official world record stands at 28 hours by Alessandro Parisi at the Westland Shopping Centre in Whyalla, Australia on 22nd & 23rd January 2007.

Lonnie told Pinball News he had always dreamed on getting his name in the record books. "I used to enjoy watching TV shows like That's Incredible and Ripley's Believe It Or Not!.  I always thought that I could do something crazy too - not for vanity or anything like that, but for my own sense of accomplishment.  I figured that if I'm going to try and do something, do what I know best - pinball."

According to the rules to register a new record with Guinness World of Records, Lonnie is allowed a five minute break each full hour of play. He can bank these to create a longer break later during the record attempt, although they don't count towards the recorded duration. He said part of his strategy is "to go for at least six hours to get a half hour of break built up.  A half an hour buffer, I feel, is pretty good to work with."

He has also planned how he intends to play, as well as his dietary requirement. "I pretty much have/need to stick to one game due to the video proof requirements, so moving around isn't much of an option.  I do plan on taking some 5 hour energy shots as they seem to have done good for me in the past.  Of course, eating the proper foods during my attempt will help greatly too.  I'm gonna pass on the spicy Thai and Mexican that I tend to enjoy, for obvious reasons!  But, if things start to look grim for me, I might have to break out the Monsters. I'll only resort to them though if needed, as they really aren't the healthiest of choices."

If everything goes to plan the 28 hour record will be broken late on Friday afternoon, but Lonnie plans to go beyond that by taking on Ronald's total of 72 hours. The 72 hours mark would be reached around 6pm on Sunday evening.

Visitors to Pinball Expo will be able to cheer on Lonnie during his attempt, but if you can't make it in person there are still ways you can join in and help with his fundraising efforts. "People attending the Expo can obviously come by and poke fun at the deranged guy that hasn't shaved or showered for 4 days trying to break a world record.  If you can't make it to the Expo but would still like to support me in my effort to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Illinois charity, go to my GoFundMe page and make a donation.  All funds that I collect are going straight to Make-A-Wish."

You'll be able to see how Lonnie does in our extensive Pinball Expo coverage which begins on Wednesday.


UPDATE

Lonnie's attempt is now underway at the Westin hotel. He is playing a Stern Mustang and is positioned in the hotel's front lobby. We will keep you updated on his progress.

Lonnie on his world record attempt
Lonnie on his world record attempt


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