Was it the right record?
The Randy Gardner record was intentionally chosen as it was very well authenticated and the most cited in psychological and general literature. In addition some accounts of his endeavour are easily accessible* and made direct comparison to my state of mind during the event possible. Being a 17-yr. old and presumably healthy it highlighted the typical difficulties encountered when staying awake beyond a couple of days. My remit was less to do with his or any other record and more to do with demonstrating an unusual ability to stay awake while remaining functional. By all accounts this was achieved (Comments by Jim Horne, leading sleep researcher at day 8) and will hopefully direct attention to the research that led to the event.
In regard to Guinness sanctioning the record, I contacted Guinness over 12 months ago and was well aware that they no longer sanction this kind of record.
Tony Wright 29 May 2007
