Guinness World Records (GWR) has announced the deactivation of its ‘longest cooking marathon (individual)’ category following a recent controversy involving Ghanaian Chef Ebenezer Smith.
Chef Smith had claimed to set a new record for the longest cooking marathon in West Africa, but GWR has since debunked his claim.
Chef Smith embarked on an ambitious cooking marathon in Spintex, Ghana, which lasted 35 days and totalled an impressive 820 hours, concluding on March 1st. His attempt initially generated significant excitement and pride in Ghana, echoing previous GWR achievements by Ghanaians.
![](https://thefeatherpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Ghanaian-Chef-Ebenezer-Smith.jpg)
However, GWR released a statement to GHone TV clarifying that Chef Smith’s claim was unsubstantiated.
According to GWR, the current record for the longest cooking marathon is held by Alan Fisher of Ireland, who completed 119 hours, 57 minutes, and 16 seconds in Matsue, Japan, in 2023.
In July 2023, GWR had also provided insights into the deactivation of another record category—the long kissing world record.
They cited safety concerns and conflicts with updated policies as the reasons for discontinuing that category.
GWR stated, “We did this because the competition had become too dangerous, and some of the rules conflicted with our current, updated policies.”
The deactivation of the cooking marathon category underscores GWR’s commitment to maintaining safe and fair competition standards while adapting to evolving policies.