Sydney man to attempt podcasting record

[Editor’s Note: Mario Bekes succeeded in breaking the Guinness World Record for The Longest Audio Only Live – Stream. The previous record was 53 hours and 1 minute and on May 1, Bekes set the new record of 55 hours and 25 minutes.]

An Australian man is attempting to set a Guinness World Record for continuous podcasting: 56 hours and 1 minute. Mario Bekes from Western Sydney is no stranger to time behind the mic. He is a presenter on community station Alive 90.5 and host of the podcast Life: The Battlefield. He is also familiar with the grueling impacts of extended periods without sleep. He is a specialist in interrogation and intelligence, dating back to his time in the military during the Croatian War of Independence in the early 1990s.

Bekes moved to Australia in 2003 after spending time in the country on official business a few years previous. Now a successful businessman, he applies his experience in military intelligence and diplomatic affairs with his company Insight Intelligence and has somehow also found time to author several books.

He took to podcasting during the lockdown and built his own studio, called ‘Secret Location,’ at home; it is from here that he will broadcast his marathon podcast live starting Saturday, Apr. 29, at 11 a.m. AEST (1 a.m. GMT).

Bekes says he is mentally prepared for the long haul but admits that he’s probably short on practice — his most extended continuous broadcast to date is only two hours. According to the Guinness World Record attempt rules, he has to forego any sleep and talk continuously for that time — no catching a little shut-eye while playing Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven.’

As for why he’s doing it, Bekes told local news service Access News, “I want to set an example, live life to the fullest and inspire people to believe in their abilities.”

You can listen to Bekes and track his progress on his website: mariosworldrecord.au