Guinness World Record Challenge, April 2019
How the Red was Run
GUINNESS WORLD RECORD SPEECH MARATHON (TEAM) CHALLENGE
… we’ve done it!!!
CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL VERSION!
Waipuna Hotel and Conference Centre, Auckland, New Zealand
The Ultimate Team Event, where 171 Toastmasters from Districts 112 NZ, 72 NZ, 70 Australia, 92 India, showcased their skills by speaking one after another for at least 10 minutes, many for longer, with some over an hour!
The six most committed speakers who accumulated the most minutes over the whole event, whilst limited like everyone else to speaking once every four hours:
Toastmaster Jonathan McDonald
307 minutes 30 seconds – 14 speeches
Toastmaster Kylee Maloney
211 minutes 08 seconds – 8 speeches
Toastmaster Kevin Prohl
211 minutes 08 seconds – 4 speeches
Toastmaster Neil Stichbury
195 minutes 14 seconds – 5 speeches
Toastmaster Aroha Heene
178 minutes 09 seconds – 7 speeches
Toastmaster Shaun Reilly
172 minutes 52 seconds – 9 speeches
Heartfelt thanks to all who took part:
The SPEAKERS – who came from all over the country to take part The NIGHT OWLS – and all those who spoke at times well out of their usual The WITNESSES – who gave their time so generously The PROVIDERS – who brought along treats that convinced us to keep going The WAIPUNA – who provided a venue for six days when no-one else (that we could afford) would do so The AUDIENCE – most of all those who helped keep us above 10 by staying or being available by phone |
Thanks also to those who couldn’t be there, but encouraged from where they were. IN SHORT, thanks to everyone for the tremendous spirit of co-operation that is alive and well at the heart of our mission as Toastmasters.
What’s next?
- All speeches were posted online from October, 2019 to June 2021, and every speaker received a link to view themselves online and share the link or download the video if they wished. The objective was that everyone who spoke should have the chance to get their work evaluated. The videos have been removed but are still available – please email our Webmaster if you need a copy.
- Produce a “Highlights” video that can be used for publicity purposes; everyone appearing will be asked for permission to use their image, as required by TI.
- Finally – enjoy a few more glasses of the “sponsor’s product”!
From your “Run the Red” team….
Rob Wightman DTM Mike Diggins DTM Sandy Hu DTM Richard Perkins DTM Toni Sharp QSM DTM | ![]() |
Thanks, everyone!
Photos from ‘Run the Red’
The pictures below were taken during the “Run the Red” event, and for those who could not be there, try to show both how the five day event ran and some of those who took part in it.
The gallery below is reproduced at low resolution; if you would like a copy of an original image, please email our Webmaster, quoting the associated image number.
For an idea of the rules and requirements of a world record-breaking event (in case you’d like to try one yourself) have a look at a PDF of the Run the Red flyer.
Run The Red Roll of Honour
While a few can have a dream, it takes many to make that dream come true. The dreamers would like to thank and recognise
Administration and record-keeping
Accurate records are essential to any chance of success for events such as this. This record could not have been broken without the dedication of:
- Sandy Hu
- Erica Richardson
- Val Wightman
- Samantha Jung-Fielding
Speakers
Run the Red contained 381 speeches given by 171 Toastmasters travelling from all over New Zealand to be here. Additionally we had speakers from Australia and India, making it a truly International Toastmaster event.
Akiko Maruno (Auckland Advanced) |
Alastair Priestley (Morning Toast) |
Alex Saifiti (MITE Speakers) |
Alun Chisholm (Auckland Advanced, Pakuranga) |
Andre van Duiven (Ellerslie Sunrise) |
Andrew Pass (Orakei) |
Andrew Reynolds (Maungekiekie) |
Ange Steiger (Auckland Advanced) |
Angela Guptill (Manurewa T.A.L.K. ) |
Angela Kabosobokwe (Ellerslie Sunrise) |
Angela Norman (TopStart) |
Anna Coleman (Napier) |
Anna Wong (Eco City Waitakere) |
Annabel Valdez-Chiong (MITe Speakers) |
Annette Fenton (Academic) |
Aroha Heene (Northwest) |
Ashley Doo (Ellerslie Sunrise) |
Barry Shaw (MCBC) |
Bella Feng (Mt Albert) |
Beryl Bourhill (Auckland Advanced) |
Bradley Hedger (Top Start) |
Brendan Richardson (Auckland West, Silver Service) |
Brian Gillespie (Lake City Breakfast) |
Carolyn Peat (Maungakiekie) |
Carolyn Swift (Orakei) |
Catherine Purdie (Harrison Road) |
Catherine Syme (Talking Heads) |
Chandler Cheng (Auckland West) |
Chitra Bansal (MCBC) |
Christian Erick (Sylvia Park) |
Christine Alcott (Auckland Advanced, Pakuranga) |
Christine Grayson (Manurewa T.A.L.K. ) |
Cliff Hall (Akld West) |
Cliff Kerr-Phillips (Sunnynook) |
Craig Martin (Ellerslie Sunrise, MITe) |
Cynthia Mitchell (Silver Service) |
Daniel Dayong Wang (Albany) |
Darralyn Keil (Ellerslie Sunrise) |
David Nottage (East Coast Bays) |
Dayal Withana (EcoCity) |
Deborah Giesler (Silver Service) |
Devi Subramaniam Jackson (MITe Speakers) |
Dione Coleman (Silver Service) |
Elaine Yuan (Eden-Epsom) |
Elizabeth Owen (IPU New Zealand) |
Elo Anajemba (Henderson-Waitakere) |
Emily Glew (Hokianga) |
Erica Richardson (Silver Service) |
Erin Daldry (Wellington – District 72) |
Fiona Hippolite (MCBC) |
Frank Phillips (Auckland Advanced, Glenfield) |
Georgina Templeton (Dynamic Diners) |
Giyora Barzilay (Eden-Epsom) |
Glen Irving (Ellerslie Sunrise) |
Gordon Rutherford (Talking Heads) |
Graeme Kettle (Hokianga) |
Grant Matthews (Manukau) |
Grant Pepper (Papakura) |
Greg Barnes (ELIM) |
Greg Longstaff (Manukau) |
Grisha Kiselev (Research on Toast) |
Hazel Moran (Three Kings) |
Helen Gaensicke (Long Bay) |
Hitesh Lad (Wiri Ramblers) |
James Hippolite (MCBC) |
James Parker (Mt Albert) |
Jane Cobcroft (Silver Service) |
Jaynesh Patel (Te Papa) |
Jennifer Kerr (Franklin) |
Jilnaught Wong (Auckland, Morning Toast) |
Joan Hook (Silver Service) |
Joanne Rutherford (Orakei) |
John DiLeo (Orion Health) |
John O’Connell (Hokianga) |
John O’Leary (Auckland Advanced) |
Jonathan Darby (Silver Service, Pacific) |
Jonathan McDonald (Academic) |
Josh Rippon (Auckland Toastmasters) |
Judit Nikolic (Maungakiekie) |
Julius Bloem (Papakura) |
Karen Le Roy (North Shore) |
Katrina Hudson (Te Awamutu) |
Katrina Matich (Weekend) |
Kenneth Thomas (Manurewa T.A.L.K. ) |
Kevin Ball (Taupo Club) |
Kevin Prohl (Three Kings) |
Kevin Smith (2Degrees) |
Kingsley Moody (Sunnynook) |
Kirsten McDonald (Orakei) |
Kulesh de Silva (ELIM) |
Kylee Maloney (Palmerston North) |
Lakshman Sockalingam (Three Kings) |
Lance Clark (Mite Speakers) |
Lance Knyvett (Maungakiekie) |
Laura Bates (West Harbour) |
Liam Oades (Manurewa T.A.L.K. ) |
Lily Liao (Orakei) |
Linee van Der Meer (Maungakiekie) |
Mabel Fernandes (Maungakiekie) |
Magda van Rooyen (Ablaze ) |
Maggie Twaddle (North Shore) |
Mari Fenn (Howick) |
Mark Adams (One Hour) |
Mark Easthope (Morning Toast) |
Mark Hornblow (Daybreak) |
Marlene Krone (Silver Service) |
Martin Francis (Manurewa T.A.L.K. ) |
Matt Meintjes (Albany) |
Matt Smitheram (Biztalk) |
Maxine Nisbet (Auckland Advanced) |
Michael Chan (Queanbeyan – District 70, Australia) |
Mike Diggins (Maungakiekie, Silver Service, Ecocity) |
Min Sheen Tan (Auckland West) |
Miranda Vriend (Sunbelt – District 72) |
Mitchell Foster (Eden-Epsom) |
Monica Bayldon (Orakei) |
Murray Coutts (Silverdale/Orewa, Warkworth) |
Naresh Kumar (Albany) |
Nathan Saminathan (Auckland Advanced) |
Neela Lumanglas (Weekend) |
Neil Stichbury (Fidelity Life, Franklin) |
Nicki Keating (Auckland West) |
Nico Lumanglas (Orakei) |
Nigel Michels (Taupo Club) |
Ody Lumanglas (Weekend) |
Pamela Martin (First Light) |
Penny Kennett (Orakei) |
Peter Chatteris (Orakei) |
Peter McCutcheon (Auckland Advanced, Flying Start) |
Peter Dennis (Silver Service) |
Pratik Mehta (Biztalk) |
Priscilla Taylor (Silver Service) |
Priya Shukla (Ellerslie Sunrise) |
Rachel Evans (Manurewa T.A.L.K. , Papakura) |
Ravneet Taneja (Papakura) |
Rebecca Rempel (Orakei) |
Renate Barrack (Manurewa T.A.L.K. ) |
Richard Perkins (Pioneers, Rotorua) |
Robert Grewar (Takapuna Toasters) |
Rob Wightman (Albany, Auckland Advanced) |
Robert Wong (Maungakiekie) |
Romain Deleglise (Shortland Street) |
Rosemarie Johnson (Takapuna Toasters) |
Ruby Mok (Eden-Epsom) |
Ruth Malo (Pacific) |
Sam Lloyd (Daybreak Leadership) |
Samantha Jung-Fielding (Auckland Toastmasters) |
Sandy Hu (Mt. Albert) |
Scott Martins (Manukau) |
Sean Walton (Silver Service) |
Serena Irving (Silver Service) |
Sharon Kerr-Phillips (Milford, Sunnynook) |
Shaun Reilly (Hokianga) |
Sherine Cameron (Maungakiekie) |
Sherman Wang (Albany, Kristin) |
Shishir Kumar (Albany) |
Shofe Miraz (Maungakiekie) |
Shona Hoggins (Ellerslie Sunrise) |
Sonley Johnstone (Warkworth) |
Sowmya Raman (Bangalore TM – District 92, India) |
Stephen Budai (Silver Service) |
Sue Phillips (Silver Service) |
Toni Sharp (Taupo Club) |
Troy Smith (Hokianga, Kerikeri) |
Tuvalu Papau (Northwest) |
Wallis Walker (Maungakiekie) |
Walter Hsueh (Ellerslie Sunrise) |
Waqar Ahmed (Albany) |
Warrick Loveday (Franklin) |
Wayne Marsh (Manukau) |
William Yang (Glenfield) |
Witnesses
Heartfelt thanks go to those who freely gave their time to act as independent witnesses:
The Official Witnesses, some 24 of them, many from supportive organisations including;
The Lions Clubs
The Justice of the Peace Association
Volunteer Auckland
The Hive Accounting Ltd.
The Waipuna team
A good number of venues were approached for this event, but only one was able to provide 24 hour access for 6 days.
Thanks to Michelle Gain and all the Waipuna Hotel and convention staff who looked after us so well throughout a very long event.
The Guinness World Record certificate presented to Waipuna is mounted in Reception, on the left as you enter the Hotel.