Want to set a Guinness World Record? Just Google it

For those who grew up in the 1990s, few books maintained a stranglehold on the family library collection like the Guinness Book of Records. Alongside dusty copies of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the Guinness Book of Records was a household staple around the world, a must-read for curious kids.

Each year, a new edition would be released, where we would marvel at the man who set the record for most Big Macs consumed in a lifetime (26,000) or the lady with the world’s longest fingernails, dreaming of the day when we, too, might do something record-worthy.

Sruthy Saseendran recently achieved a Guinness World Record for Most airports identified in one minute using IATA codes.Credit: Jason South

Unfortunately, real life has a habit of getting in the way, and for most people, a Guinness World Record remains a nostalgic pipedream.

But not for Melbourne resident Sruthy Saseendran.

Last year, Saseendran achieved the Guinness World Record for the most airports identified in one minute using IATA codes (the three letters used to identify an airport’s location – for example, JFK represents John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City).

First published in 1955, the Guinness World Record book remains a bestseller.

Saseendran named 95 airports in 60 seconds, becoming the first person ever to do so because, well, she made up the category.

“I just Googled whether this world record existed,” says Saseendran. “Google confirmed it did not, so the record was there for the taking.”

Born in a small town near Trivandrum, the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala, Saseendran never harboured grand ambitions of becoming a Guinness World Record holder. In fact, dreaming big was actively discouraged.

“I come from a very traditional family – my father was a teacher, and my mother was a housewife,” she says. “It was a normal middle-class upbringing where you were meant to have normal middle-class dreams. But even at a young age, I had a hunger to challenge myself and leave a legacy.”

The idea of leaving a legacy is human nature, but rather than daydreaming about curing cancer or winning Olympic gold, Saseendran knew her contribution must play to her strengths: airports and having a good memory.

“I really like airports and can retain information easily. By combining these two things, I could enter that prestigious book,” says Saseendran, 33.

History is never made without first overcoming adversity, and Saseendran faced her fair share of challenges in setting the record.

“Guinness rejected my first few applications because originally, I pitched that I could name 250 codes in five minutes, but they thought that was not feasible and would be too difficult to verify,” says Saseendran. “It wasn’t until I reduced the time to one minute that the challenge was approved.”

Then came the mammoth task of memorising each code, which is no mean feat considering there are more than 17,000 airport codes, and some defy logic. Did you know that the code for Derby Field Airport in Pershing County, Nevada, is LOL? Of course, you didn’t, but Saseendran does.

“Every morning for the last year, I would wake up at 4.30am and spend two hours studying, using flashcards and a giant Excel spreadsheet with all the codes,” she says.

The Guinness World Records organisation stipulated that the challenge had to be overseen by two independent witnesses and carried out using a website that randomly generated the codes. “My best is actually 104 airports in 60 seconds, but I got a bit nervous on the day.”

Saseendran completed the task in December; her official certificate arrived in the mail this week. Having joined the illustrious list of Guinness World Record holders, Saseendran hopes others will follow her lead. “Create a record and break it,” she says. “It’s easy to apply, and I am here to prove anything is possible.”

Credit: Matt Golding

Which means there’s never been a better time to start growing your fingernails out.

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