World's Longest Hug Sends Money To Cancer Hospital

Manchester friends Faisal Mohyud-Din and Mohammed Azeem wanted to raise money for the new cancer unit for the Christie Cancer Hospital in Oldham, and to get themselves in the Guinness Book of World Records at the same time. The two raised money for the hospital by breaking the record for the world's longest hug.

Mohyud-Din and Azeem embraced for a record 24 hours and 17 minutes (imagine watching "Avatar" nine times in a row). Breaking the previous record by 16 minutes, the two said their biggest challenge was staying awake the entire time.

From BBC News:

Mr Mohyud-Din, a talented sprinter who is aiming to compete in the 2012 Olympics, said: "This was certainly a marathon rather than a sprint.

"I needed all my reserves of stamina to get through it, but I'm over the moon to have broken the record - hopefully the first of many."

Hospital spokesperson Alicia Custis called the achievement "a hug for all our cancer patients."

Comments

[Stephan Alexander]

02:22 PM on 03/12/2010

not that it matters, but do these gentlemen identify as gay? and, if not, is it a "full-body" hug or an "above-the-waist" type of hug? I would think that with a "full-body" hug, their junk would get in the way after a couple of hours... mine would anyway.

[anothervoice]

10:20 AM on 03/14/2010

"Not that it matters" is correct.

[monty]

04:35 PM on 03/15/2010

Why do you care, did "it" move while you were reading this story or something?

[swingerofbirches]

12:23 AM on 03/12/2010

The BBC article (like every article I read online lately) is missing so many important pieces of information:

1) Most importantly, how did them hugging raise money? Did people commit money if they were able to complete the feat? Maybe, but the article doesn't specify . . .
2) How did they pee? Did they not drink ahead of time? Did they pee on themselves (each other)? Were they allowed to hobble to a loo while remaining embraced? Were they connected to a catheter?
3) As a follow-up to number 2 (pun intended), how did they make boom boom if needed? Would they make in their pants? Were they again allowed to hobble to the loo while one made his business on the commode, the other still grasping him in embrace? Were they connected to colostomy bags?

[Stephan Alexander]

02:22 PM on 03/12/2010

LOL... "boom boom". Brits are funny.

[CoronaDischarge]

11:32 PM on 03/11/2010

I was wondering what Beck and Massa did after the interview.

[Johnnyash]

07:52 AM on 03/12/2010

LOL - Good one!

[Trance2010]

11:54 AM on 03/12/2010

Beck probably ran away in fear...

[garystartswithg]

09:15 PM on 03/11/2010

awesomeness -- but as i read it the article it made me uneasy to realize in the usa in most places these guys doing so much would be attacked just for being brown and for hugging.

best of luck to faisal in 2012!

[Johnnyash]

07:55 AM on 03/12/2010

And some evangelical on the hospital board would reject the money because it was "tainted" by homosexuality

[Trance2010]

11:54 AM on 03/12/2010

Dumbest comment of the year.

[ZenBastard]

06:36 PM on 03/16/2010

Yes, yours certainly qualifies.

[alfatu]

04:53 PM on 03/11/2010

Ummm, interesting. Anything to help cancer research is noteworthy. Anything.