Wednesday, February 27, 2013

  Most hugs given in 24 hours: Jeff Ondash breaks Guinness world record

LAS VEGAS, NV, USA -- Jeff Ondash, 51, from Youngstown, Ohio, nicknamed Teddy McHuggin, set out to bring awareness to the 10th Anniversary of the Go Red For Women campaign for the American Heart Association by breaking a Guinness World Hugging Record; the old record was 8709 hugs; Teddy McHuggin, with the help of some volunteers, broke the record by hugging 9236 individual people in 24 hours on the strip in Las Vegas in front of Ballys Hotel , setting the new world record for the Most hugs given in 24 hours by an individual, according to the World Record Academy: www.worldrecordacademy.com/.

  Photo: Jeff Ondash, who sought the squeezes under the costumed alter ego Teddy McHuggin, broke the world record outside the Paris Las Vegas hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Photo: PR ( enlarge photo )

 The Guinness world record for the most hugs given in 24 hours is 8,709 and was achieved by Jonathan Sexton (USA) at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, USA.

  Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the most hugs given in one hour: 2,436, achieved by Jayasimha Ravirala (India) at the Aditya Institute of Technology and Management, in Tekkali, Andrha Pradesh, India.

  The Heart Association has a soft spot in Teddy's heart as he lost his brother at the age of 39 and his father at 59 to heart disease.

   Jeff Ondash is the first person ever to break three Guinness Hugging World Records!

  "It is my way of honoring them. I love and miss them so much. It's also a way to bring awareness to the Go Red campaign. People need to understand that heart disease is the number one killer of women! With a visit to the doctor and a few tests, heart disease can be prevented. A little exercise, the right foods, all lead to a healthier heart and life.

  "Hopefully this new hugging world record can get some attention, get the word out and save some lives. Incidentally, hugging is also great for the heart. It lowers blood pressure, elevates moods and takes away depression. Hugging also releases oxytocin which prompts loving and caring feelings. My favorite part of breaking the hugging world records is that when I hug someone, they always feel happier and walk away with a big smile."

  This is the third Guinness Hugging world record that Teddy McHuggin has broken and he doesn't plan on stopping. His goal is to hug 250,000 people this year.

 "I would like to visit every ballpark, every concert, every state and every sporting event I can make it to and hug everyone I can to continue to spread the word about heart disease and raise money for the American Heart Association. I'll go anywhere. While I'm out hugging, if I can break the world records again, that'll be great too!"

   Related world records:
Most Hugs Given in 24 Hours - world record set by Jeff Ondash

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