A gay couple earned a large amount of cash and prizes, and a place in the Guinness Book of World Records, by staying lip-locked for over 2 days leading up to Valentine’s Day.
Nonthawat Charoenkasetsin, 24, who works on the psychiatric staff at Plaengyao Hospital in Chachoengsao, and Thanakorn Siththiemthong, 22, coffee shop owner, won the 2nd annual Kissing Marathon contest organized by Ripley’s Believe It or Not Pattaya and Pattaya City.
(L to R) Thanakorn Siththiemthong and Nonthawat Charoenkasetsin pose with their plaque presented to them by Somporn Naksuetrong, general manager of Royal Garden Plaza.
It was the second straight year a new record was set. Last year, Ekachai Teernarat and his wife Laksana set a new time of 46 hours, 24 minutes and 9 seconds, breaking the then record of 32 hours, 7 minutes and 14 seconds set in 2009 by a couple in Germany.
Nonthawat and Thanakorn kept their lips together for an amazing 50 hours, 25 minutes and 1 second. For their efforts, they won 100,000 baht in cash, a diamond ring from World James Collection, and a 200,000 baht voucher for stay at the Anatara Phuket.
Seven mostly Thai pairs entered the contest when it kicked off Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. Only one couple dropped out by Monday afternoon, saying the aches and pains were just too much to continue.
According to the rules, the lovebirds’ lips cannot part at any time. Only after the first six hours of nothing but kissing, are contestants allowed to drink things like water, coffee, milk or juice – but only through straws while continuing to kiss. They also have to remain embraced during bathroom breaks possible every three hours – accompanied by contest monitors. The harshest rule: no sitting or sleeping.
Slowly, couple after couple dropped out, leaving just the final two pairs. By 7 p.m. Feb. 14, last year’s record breaking couple Ekachai and Laksana Teernarat began to feel that this year’s contest was slipping away. Ekachai wrote on a piece of paper the message, “Win or Lose, She is the prize”. Laksana responded with, “You said that we will kiss till my birthday, after tonight I will not budge,” followed by an extra passionate kiss before the couple gave up on Valentine’s Day.
All that was left then was to determine the final time, and it wasn’t until the mark of 50 hours, 25 minutes and 1 second was set that Nonthawat and Thanakorn ended their record breaking kiss.
