132 hours and 58 minutes – this is the astonishing amount of time Castelo Branco drummer Carlos Santos kept the beat going to break Guinness’ World Record for the longest drumming marathon.
Taking on the challenge at local mall Fórum de Castelo Branco between November 9 and 15, Santos beat previous record-holder Kunto Hartono of Indonesia by 10 hours and now awaits Guiness’ official recognition.
The musician also used his feat to raise awareness over the issue of parental alienation – a situation where children are kept from coming into contact with one of their parents after a family separation.
Although Santos had already beaten Hartono’s time of 122 hours and 25 minutes, he played the extra 10 to make up for the 50-minute breaks he took in between every 10 hours of playing.
“Carlos proved himself to be an even stronger person than he looked, with huge determination,” president of the local parish council Jorge Neves said after the marathon, stressing the importance of Santos’ “message”.
Just before he completed his record, the drummer thanked all the musicians and supporters who had given him the motivation to keep playing for so long, saying “People are telling me that I’m great. No: We are great!”
